HOUSE OF COMMONS COMMISSION

Crèche Facilities

Kitty Ussher: To ask the hon. Member for North Devon, representing the House of Commons Commission whether the House of Commons Commission plans to introduce crèche facilities for parents of young children who work in the House.

Nick Harvey: The Commission did consider the proposal for a child care facility based in the House two years ago, but, after a survey of potential users, concluded that more flexibility would be provided by a child care voucher system. Many staff of the House come from outer-London boroughs or even beyond Greater London and receive greater benefit from a voucher system that enables them to use child care facilities nearer to home. The voucher system also benefits Members' staff working in constituencies. Nearly 150 people take advantage of the scheme, and the Commission felt that it offered more flexibility than something based at Westminster.

Food Composting

Jo Swinson: To ask the hon. Member for North Devon, representing the House of Commons Commission whether food waste from the refreshment outlets on the House estate is used in a composting scheme.

Nick Harvey: Food from House of Commons refreshment outlets is not currently used in a composting scheme but this possibility is being explored.

Hippo Bags

Jo Swinson: To ask the hon. Member for North Devon, representing the House of Commons Commission whether the toilets on the House estate make use of "Hippo" bags in the cistern.

Nick Harvey: Where it is appropriate, toilets on the House estate do make use of bags in the cistern to reduce volume of water.

TRADE AND INDUSTRY

Analogue Broadcasting

Henry Bellingham: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry whether radio spectrum is planned to be reserved during the period of the 2012 Olympic games in order to ensure that outside broadcast and radio microphone operations have full access to the current level of analogue spectrum; and if he will make a statement.

Margaret Hodge: The matter raised is the responsibility of the Regulator, the Office of Communications (Ofcom) which is accountable to Parliament rather than Ministers. Accordingly, I have asked the chief executive of Ofcom to reply directly to the hon. Member. Copies of the chief executive's letter will be placed in the Libraries of the Houses.

Energy Policy

Paul Flynn: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry how much his Department spent on  (a) wave-generated electricity projects and  (b) coppicing- generated electricity projects in each of the past four years; and how much he expects to spend in each of the next four years.

Malcolm Wicks: The research and development of emerging wave energy conversion technologies has been supported under the DTI's Technology programme since 1999. The following table gives the requested figures for each of the last four financial years.
	
		
			  Financial year  Spend (£) 
			 2002-03 748,335 
			 2003-04 2,104,141 
			 2004-05 334,651 
			 2005-06 281,348 
			 Total 3,468,475 
		
	
	The DTI's Marine Renewables Deployment Fund makes available £50 million to support the first pre-commercial grid-connected wave and tidal-stream demonstration projects. The allocation of those funds over the next four years is dependent upon the number and scale of projects that come forward.
	For Biomass, there are a number of ongoing projects supported under the bio-energy capital grants scheme (BCGS) jointly funded by DTI and the Big Lottery Fund. To date, no funds have been drawn down on coppice-fuelled projects. This is primarily due to the timing and development schedules of these projects. Future funding over the next four years will be dependent on the progress of those individual projects.
	DTI also funds a Research and Development programme, which has supported coppice-related projects. The spend on these projects is presented as follows:
	
		
			  Financial year  Spend (£000) 
			 2002-03 554 
			 2003-04 185 
			 2004-05 93 
			 2005-06 52 
			 2006-07 46 
			 2007-08 onwards 0 
		
	
	Electricity generation from renewable sources is also supported indirectly through the renewables obligation and by exemption from the Climate Change Levy. Electricity generation plant fired by a fuel supply of 90 per cent. or more (by calorific value) biodegradable material is eligible for the renewables obligation, regardless of the energy conversion technology used, with renewables obligation certificates (ROCs) issued for the renewable fraction. Co-firing of biomass, particularly energy crops, in fossil fuel power stations may also benefit from eligibility under the renewables obligation.

Industrial Diseases: Compensation

David Anderson: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry how many Group 3 turnovers have been achieved by the 20 law firms with the greatest volume of claims in the Vibration White Finger scheme; and what this figure represents as a percentage of each firm's caseload.

Malcolm Wicks: The number of Group 3 turnovers that have been achieved by the 20 claimants' representatives with the greatest volume of claims for Vibration White Finger (VWF), and the percentages of VWF caseload are shown on the following table:
	
		
			  Claimants' representatives  Total claims registered  Group 3 denials overturned  Group 3 denials overturned as a percentage of total claims per cent 
			 Thompsons Solicitors 21,057 824 3.9 
			 Browell Smith and Co 16,467 377 2.3 
			 Beresfords Solicitors 11,628 278 2.4 
			 Union of Democratic Mineworkers 11,534 41 0.4 
			 Raleys Solicitors 11,281 270 2.4 
			 Hugh James 10,636 408 3.8 
			 Graysons Solicitors 8,700 211 2.4 
			 Moss Solicitors 7,294 169 2.3 
			 Watson Burton LLP 5,934 199 3.4 
			 Ashton Morton Slack LLP 5,382 126 2.3 
			 Towells Solicitors 5,353 107 2.0 
			 Kidd and Spoor Harper Solicitors 3,668 76 2.1 
			 Atteys 3,096 55 1.8 
			 O H Parsons and Partners Solicitors 2,701 56 2.1 
			 Irwin Mitchell Solicitors 2,363 64 2.7 
			 Shaw and Co Solicitors 2,256 61 2.7 
			 Saffhians Solicitors 2,234 40 1.8 
			 Kingslegal 1,885 44 2.3 
			 Latham and Co Solicitors 1,838 36 2.0 
			 Corries Solicitors 1,678 45 2.7

Industrial Diseases: Compensation

David Anderson: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what the average damages recovered were by the 10 law firms with the greatest volume of claims for  (a) Vibration White Finger and  (b) chronic bronchitis and emphysema compensation.

Malcolm Wicks: The average damages recovered by the 10 claimants' representatives with the greatest volume of claims for Vibration White Finger (VWF), and for Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease (COPD) are shown on the following tables:
	
		
			  VWF 
			  Claimants' representatives  Claims registered  Average damages paid (on claims settled by payment as at 30 November 2006) (£) 
			 Thompsons Solicitors 21,055 12,923 
			 Browell Smith and Co 16,467 9,411 
			 Beresfords Solicitors 11,628 8,792 
			 Union of Democratic Mineworkers 11,536 9,661 
			 Raleys Solicitors 11,281 9,658 
			 Hugh James 10,637 9,485 
			 Graysons Solicitors 8,700 11,531 
			 Moss Solicitors 7,294 8,947 
			 Watson Burton LLP 5,934 12,244 
			 Ashton Morton Slack LLP 5,382 8,650 
		
	
	
		
			  COPD 
			  Claimants' representatives  Claims registered  Average damages paid (on claims settled by payment as at 30 November 2006) 
			 Beresfords Solicitors 80,917 2,498 
			 Thompsons Solicitors 57,896 9,931 
			 Hugh James 56,776 8,747 
			 Raleys Solicitors 48,700 7,173 
			 Browell Smith and Co 32,872 7,441 
			 Avalon Solicitors 32,323 1,954 
			 Mark Gilbert Morse 25,751 7,646 
			 Union of Democratic Mineworkers 16,688 3,356 
			 Barber and Co 14,093 2,541 
			 Watson Burton LLP 14,071 4,437

Internet Viruses

Nigel Evans: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what estimate he has made of the cost to businesses in Lancashire caused by internet viruses in each of the last three years.

Margaret Hodge: holding answer 29 November 2006
	My Department does not collect statistics relating to individual PCs or computer systems. However, the 2006 Information Security Breaches Survey, which is the largest survey of its kind in the UK, forms a significant part of the Department's work with business to understand the nature and impact of information security breaches and to raise awareness of the value of effective information security management. This report contains a wide range of statistical information and is available from the DTI website (www.dti.gov.uk). The 2006 report found that virtually all companies now have anti-virus software and that fewer companies had suffered security incidents related to viruses than in the previous two surveys. Although viruses remain a major concern, the nature of the threat is changing; the major virus disseminations that were prevalent until a few years ago and which caused widespread damage are now less important than the more targeted theft of confidential business information. My Department produces extensive online advice and other guidance material relating to information security best practice.

Ministerial Travel

Bob Russell: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry if he will list the occasions since he has held his present office when he has used  (a) rail services,  (b) the London Underground,  (c) tram or light railway services and  (d) buses in connection with his ministerial duties.

Alistair Darling: Since taking office as Secretary of State, when on ministerial duty I have used rail services on:
	
		
			   Rail journey 
			 15 May Derby to London 
			 17 May London to Runcorn return 
			 25 May London to Durham 
			 2 June Luxembourg to Brussels 
			 11 July London to Whitstable return 
			 12 July London Marylebone to Banbury return 
			 13 July London to Oxenholme 
			 14 July Carlisle to Edinburgh 
			 12 September London to Brighton 
			 13 September Brighton to London 
			 04 October London to Southampton Parkway return 
			 16 October Edinburgh to York and Doncaster to London 
			 30 October Eurostar from Brussels to London Waterloo 
			 07 November Eurostar from Brussels to London Waterloo 
		
	
	I have used public transport wherever possible and practical to complete my journey, taking account of security considerations.
	I have not used the London Underground, tram, light railway services or buses on ministerial business, but do so on other occasions.
	All my ministerial travel on official business is undertaken in accordance with the rules set out in "Travel by Ministers".

Renewable Energy: Research

Ashok Kumar: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what research his Department has conducted on how existing energy sources can be made cleaner in the last five years.

Malcolm Wicks: The DTI's carbon abatement technologies programme, formerly the Cleaner Fossil Fuels Programme, has supported collaborative work covering Research and Development on Cleaner Coal Technologies since 1999. During this time the Department provided some £13 million to the programme and an additional £3.5 million for collaborative Cleaner Coal Technology projects with the USA.
	The Government have also made available, between 2002 and 2008 around £500 million of spending on emerging renewable and low carbon technologies in the form of capital grants and research and development. This includes £35 million for a carbon abatement technologies demonstration programme.

LEADER OF THE HOUSE

Departmental Staff

John Hayes: To ask the Leader of the House how many temporary employees were contracted to work for the Privy Council Office in 2005-06; and what the total cost of such employees was in  (a) 2005-06 and  (b) 1997-98.

Jack Straw: During 2005-06, the Privy Council Office contracted 14 staff from employment agencies at a cost of £35,433.22. Staff employed from agencies were engaged to cover long-term sick absence and short-term recruitment gaps. In this same period, the PCO also contracted two staff on a fixed term appointment basis at a cost of £18,299.34. Staff employed on fixed term contracts were engaged to assist on long-term projects.
	Details covering 1997-98 are not held centrally and are available only at disproportionate cost.

Official Cars

Lindsay Hoyle: To ask the Leader of the House how many cars run by the Privy Council Office were manufactured  (a) in the UK and  (b) abroad.

Jack Straw: The Privy Council Office does not own or run any vehicles.

ENVIRONMENT FOOD AND RURAL AFFAIRS

Animal Welfare Bill

Elliot Morley: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs whether any species of primate will be removed from those listed under the Dangerous Wild Animals Act 1976 as a result of the Animal Welfare Bill.

Ben Bradshaw: The Dangerous Wild Animals Act 1976 is at present being reviewed. Following extensive consultation and expert advice, changes to the Act's schedule are planned for 2007. Any such changes will be timed to coincide as far as possible with the timing of the Animal Welfare Act's coming into force. The final decisions on the detail of the amendments, including whether any primates will be removed from the list, will be taken at that time.

Biofuels

David Drew: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what additional incentives he is planning to persuade more farmers to grow  (a) biofuels and  (b) other non-food crops.

Ian Pearson: The joint Defra and Department of Trade and Industry Strategy for non-food crops and uses provides an overarching package of measures and incentives. These are designed to promote the sustainable and competitive development of non-food crops in order to provide biofuels, biomass heat and electricity and industrial materials.
	The strategy recognises the opportunities non-food crops offer farmers and industry. It contains a number of actions aimed at developing supply chains, disseminating information and targeting research and development. These actions are delivered in part by the Government-funded National Non-Food Crops Centre. The centre plays a pivotal role in linking farmers with industry and provides advice and guidance on crop agronomics, contracts and procurement issues. The recently established Biomass Energy Centre also provides detailed information on all aspects of growing and supplying energy crops.
	A two year progress report on the strategy was published on 16 November 2006 and a copy can be found on the Defra website at: http://www.defra.gov.uk/farm/crops/industrial/pdf/nfc-progress-0611.pdf. The report contains recommendations for developing the strategy over the next three years.
	We intend to continue to provide support for energy crops in England under the new Rural Development Programme for England. Support for biomass supply chains will continue with a second round of the bio-energy infrastructure scheme.

Bonus Payments

Keith Vaz: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs how much was paid in bonuses to civil servants in his Department each year since 2001-02; and how many civil servants received bonuses in each year.

Barry Gardiner: Payment of non-consolidated performance bonuses reflects the principle across the civil service of rewarding performance increasingly through one-off payments rather than increases to basic salary.
	DEFRA operates two different performance bonus systems: in-year high performance bonuses, paid to individuals or teams below the senior civil service (SCS) in recognition of one-off achievement during the year; and annual high performance bonuses, paid to both SCS and non-SCS staff for high performance sustained throughout the whole year.
	For the period November 2004 to March 2005, in-year performance bonuses totalling £179,879 were awarded to 513 staff. Information on annual performance and in-year bonuses before this date is only available at disproportionate cost as a result of system changes.
	For the periods April 2005 to March 2006 and April 2006 to date, the number of annual and in-year performance bonuses awarded was as follows:
	
		
			  Period  Number of staff awarded bonuses  Total amount of bonuses paid (£) 
			 April 2005-March 2006 3,535 3,364,032 
			 April 2006-to date 1,680 2,933,611 
		
	
	The total sums paid annually in performance bonuses are a little over 1 per cent. of paybill.
	For staff in the SCS, the data relates to bonuses awarded to those in core-DEFRA and its Executive agencies (excluding chief executives) in accordance with Cabinet Office arrangements. For staff below the SCS, the data relates to staff covered by core-DEFRA pay arrangements (core-DEFRA, State Veterinary Service, Pesticides Safety Directorate, Veterinary Medicines Directorate, Marine Fisheries Agency and Government Decontamination Service). DEFRA's other agencies and non-departmental public bodies operate separate pay and bonus arrangements.

British Waterways

Brian Binley: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what estimate the Government have made of the number of projects being undertaken by British Waterways which will be affected by the planned further budget cuts to that organisation.

Barry Gardiner: This is an operational matter for British Waterways. Major engineering works to the value of £5.6 million have been deferred this year. These were identified by using risk assessment procedures to maximise potential savings while minimising impact on structural condition.
	It is for the board of British Waterways to decide on its future projects and maintenance programme in the light of the budget for 2007-08 and beyond.

Carbon Neutrality

Brian Jenkins: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what the timescale is for achieving his Department's objective of Government activity becoming carbon neutral.

Ian Pearson: In a written statement to the House on 12 June 2006, a new set of sustainable operational targets for the central Government estate were announced. The new targets include a specific commitment for a carbon neutral Government office estate by 2012 and to reduce carbon emissions from offices by 30 per cent. by 2020.
	Carbon neutrality is about having zero net carbon dioxide emissions. This is achieved through a combination of reducing carbon dioxide emissions, using renewable energy and offsetting the remaining balance. Carbon offsets are purchased to cover unavoidable emissions that result after all economically viable carbon savings have been made.

Clean Neighbourhoods and Environment Act

Brian Jenkins: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs how many traders have been prosecuted by  (a) the police and  (b) local authorities for selling cars on verges by the roadside under the Cleaner Neighbourhoods and Environment Act 2005.

Ben Bradshaw: Only authorised officers of a local authority are empowered under Section 3 of the Clean Neighbourhoods and Environment Act 2005 to issue a fixed penalty notice or prosecute for this offence.
	Local authorities submit data on the number of fixed penalty notices and prosecutions they have made for local environmental offences on an annual basis. The first full year's data since the introduction of this offence will be submitted and published by July 2007.

Coastal Areas: Access

Hugo Swire: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs when the report from Natural England on coastal access is expected to be published.

Barry Gardiner: In July this year, I announced that I had asked the Natural England Board to come forward with its recommendations to the Government on coastal access before the end of December.
	I met the Chair and Chief Executive of Natural England on 23 November. Following the meeting I have confirmed that I am happy for Natural England to do some further work in order to finalise their advice. I have agreed that the Board should come forward with their final advice and recommendations by the end of February 2007. As a result, I expect that there will be a delay in issuing the public consultation document from my previously announced date of early 2007.

Countryside and Rights of Way Act 2000

Hugo Swire: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs whether an assessment has been made of the impact of the Countryside and Rights of Way Act 2000.

Barry Gardiner: It is too early to make an accurate assessment of the impact of the new right of access under Part I of the Countryside and Rights of Way Act 2000 but Natural England has some monitoring procedures in place. Natural England has planned an initial three year programme designed to monitor public use of the new right of access, identifying both favourable and adverse impacts on land management and nature conservation.

Departmental Staff

Roger Williams: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs how many  (a) marketing officers,  (b) communications officers and  (c) press officers are employed in his Department; and what the total expenditure on communications for his Department was on (i) Government Information and Communication Service staff and (ii) other (A) press officers, (B) special advisers and (C) staff in the last year for which figures are available.

Barry Gardiner: The Government Information and Communication Service has been replaced by the Government Communications Network (GCN). The two categories of GCN specialisms best matching those in the question are (i) press officers and (ii) marketing. Full-time equivalent staff employed in Communications Directorate fitting these specialisms, as of 1 November, are as follows:
	
		
			   Number 
			 Press Officers 23 
			 Marketing 16.6 
		
	
	Communications expenditure covers a wide range of activities and is not centralised. A figure for all communications expenditure by the Department could be obtained only at disproportionate cost. Total external communications expenditure through the Communications Directorate budget was £4.01 million for financial year 2005-06. This includes £890,000 expenditure on advertising (24 May 2006,  Official Report, column 1818W) with the remainder of the expenditure covering attendance at agricultural shows, publications, direct information literature mailings and other external communications. This figure excludes non-centralised expenditure, and expenditure by non-departmental public bodies, Executive agencies and independent statutory bodies.
	It is not possible to break down expenditure by types of communication staff.

Departmental Expenditure

Hugo Swire: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs how much was spent by his Department on television advertisements in the last year for which figures are available.

Barry Gardiner: DEFRA (excluding non-departmental public bodies, executive agencies and independent statutory bodies) has not spent any funds on television advertisements in the last 12 months (October 2005-October 2006).

Departmental Secondments

Iain Duncan Smith: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs which staff in his Department are seconded from organisations with charitable status; and which have  (a) costs and  (b) salaries met (i) in part and (ii) in whole (A) from public funds and (B) by the charity from which they are seconded.

Barry Gardiner: Defra continues to promote and encourage the exchange of personnel between the Department and a range of organisations. Defra currently has three secondees from ENCAMS an environmental charity—the following annex provides further detail.
	
		
			  Annex-PQ 0141 
			  Secondee  Costs  Salary 
			 Andrew Osborne Defra ENCAMS 
			 James Martin ENCAMS ENCAMS 
			 Robert Ingle Environment Agency Environment Agency 
		
	
	The status of all three secondees—Andrew Osborne, James Martin, Robert Ingle within Defra is that of secondee from ENCAMS. They all continue to be employees of ENCAMS for the duration of the secondment with all their present terms and conditions of employment being maintained. During the secondment, ENCAMS continue to be responsible for total remuneration package (including salary, pay-related benefits, holiday, sick pay and pension etc.).
	In respect of other costs for:
	 Andrew Osborne
	Defra reimburse any expenses incurred by Andrew in connection with work for Defra during the secondment.
	 James Martin
	All expenses incurred by James in connection with work for Defra during the secondment are met by ENCAMS.
	 Robert Ingle
	ENCAMS are responsible for all expenses incurred by Robert including travel and training expenses. ENCAMS will be supplied with a budget by the Environment Agency from which all the costs of this secondment are deducted.

Departmental Task Forces

Peter Ainsworth: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs which task forces have been set up by his Department in each year since 1997; and what the cost of each of these task forces was in each financial year in that period.

Barry Gardiner: holding answer 4 December 2006
	Details of the task forces set up since Defra was established in 2001 are published in the annual Cabinet Office publication "Public Bodies", available at:
	http://www.civilservice.gov.uk/other/agencies/public__bodies/index.asp
	The cost of setting up and running these task forces is not held centrally. Collating such information would incur disproportionate cost.

Energy Efficiency

Brian Jenkins: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what further plans the Government have for encouraging households to improve their insulation.

Ian Pearson: Under the Energy Efficiency Commitment (EEC), we require energy suppliers to meet targets for the promotion of improvements in household energy efficiency. They do this by encouraging and assisting household consumers to take up measures like cavity wall and loft insulation.
	During the first half of the current EEC (2005-08), 88 per cent. of supplier activity was through insulation measures. The 2006 Climate Change Programme announced that the EEC target will be increased by 50-100 per cent. for EEC3 (2008-11) and we would expect that insulation will be a major part of the work.
	In addition to this, the Government funded Warm Front Scheme, which is the key programme in tackling fuel poverty in England, provides a range of insulation measures to those households qualifying for assistance.
	The Energy Saving Trust (which is supported by Government funding) carries out work to inform and encourage households to take up energy efficiency measures including insulation.

Energy Efficiency

Brian Jenkins: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs 
	(1)  how many houses had insulation installed that meets the recommended standard in each of the last five years;
	(2)  what estimate he has made of the  (a) number and  (b) percentage of houses in the (i) public and (ii) private sector have insulation which meets the current recommended standards.

Ian Pearson: There is no official "recommended standard" for insulation in existing buildings (only new builds require certain minimum standards for insulation to be met via the Building Regulations, part L). However, general advice is to install all cost-effective insulation measures, which in most cases means cavity wall insulation and loft insulation. Although it is not so cost-effective, double glazing would also normally be considered essential by modern standards (for new dwellings it is required by the Building Regulations) and it is a popular measure. The following table shows the estimated number of installations of cavity wall insulation, loft insulation and double glazing in existing homes in each of the years 2000-05 (note that in addition about 180,000 new homes are built each year and these will also automatically incorporate these measures where relevant).
	
		
			  Insulation measures in existing homes in Great Britain 
			  Households (thousand) 
			   Cavity wall insulation  Cavity wall insulation (alternative source( 1) )  Loft insulation  Double glazing 
			 2000 211 149 415 2,002 
			 2001 226 218 440 2,030 
			 2002 201 212 258 1,928 
			 2003 171 213 289 1,765 
			 2004 205 248 303 1,731 
			 2005 240 342 280 1,340 
			 (1) The alternative figures are based on sales data from the Cavity Insulation Guarantee Agency (CIGC) and they refer to the UK rather than Great Britain.  Source: GfK Marketing Services Ltd. Home Audit 
		
	
	At the end of 2004, 16 per cent. of households (about 3.9 million) in Great Britain (and 16 per cent., or about 3.4 million in England) had already installed all the above mentioned measures where appropriate. About 3 million of these properties are in the private sector and 0.9 million in the public/social housing sector. This is equivalent to 16 per cent. of the stock in the private sector and 14 per cent. of the stock in the public/social sector being fully insulated. The detailed figures are shown in the following table (note that the percentages are rounded to whole numbers).
	
		
			   With full insulation  All households  Percentage 
			 All households (England) 3,389 21,370 16 
			 All households (GB) 3,895 24,825 16 
			 Owner occupied households (GB) 2,948 17,103 17 
			 Private rented households (GB) 93 1,590 6 
			 All private households (GB) 3,041 18,693 16 
			 Local authority households (GB) 351 3,575 10 
			 RSL households (GB) 506 2,556 20 
			 All public/social households (GB) 857 6,131 14 
			  Sources: 1. Domestic Energy Fact File (2006): Owner occupies, local authority, private rented and registered social landlord homes. BRE 2005. (http://www.projects.bre.co.uk/factfile/) 2. Domestic Energy Fact File (2007): England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland. (Still in preparation—publication planned for mid-2007).

Flooding (Canvey Island)

Bob Spink: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs whether a study has been made of the possible effects of flooding on Canvey Island as part of the Thames Estuary 2100 project.

Ian Pearson: The Environment Agency's Thames Estuary 2100 project is assessing the impacts of flooding (including risk to life, property and the environment) across the whole tidal floodplain. This stretches from Teddington, west of London, to a notional line between Sheerness and Shoeburyness in the east of the estuary. This includes Canvey Island.
	The design standard of protection afforded by the defences at Canvey Island is currently well in excess of 1 in 1,000 (that is, to protect against flood events with a 0.1 per cent. or greater chance of occurring in any one year). In some areas the standard is as high as 1 in 10,000 (that is, 0.01 per cent. chance of flooding in any one year) although this will reduce with rising tidal flood levels.
	For further information on the scope and progress of Thames Estuary 2100 project, I refer the hon. Member to the answer given to him on 18 September 2006,  Official Report, column 2479W.

Forestry

Nick Gibb: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs whether the Forestry Commission recognises the International GCSE as an acceptable substitute for a GCSE for the purposes of recruitment.

Barry Gardiner: When the Forestry Commission stipulates in recruitment adverts that candidates should possess passes at GCSE level it always adds that equivalents are acceptable. These equivalents include the International GCSE.

Garden Centres

Brian Jenkins: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what steps his Department is taking to encourage garden centres to promote plants that are suitable for longer, warmer summers.

Barry Gardiner: The types of plants stocked by garden centres are commercial decisions for each individual business. However, DEFRA has commissioned a number of research projects of relevance to the Hardy Nursery Stock sector. Of particular interest, with regard to longer and warmer summers, is the need to conserve water use. Current research is looking at novel strategies for reducing water use while maintaining, or improving, quality.

Garden Waste

Laurence Robertson: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what restrictions exist on the burning of garden waste; and if he will make a statement.

Ben Bradshaw: Smoke nuisance and emissions created as a result of bonfires are covered under several pieces of legislation, including the Environmental Protection Act 1990 (EPA) and, on industrial or trade premises, the Clean Air Act 1993. However, most domestic bonfires are dealt with by local authorities under their statutory nuisance powers under the EPA.
	In addition to the statutory nuisance powers, section 33 of the EPA (as amended by the Waste Management (England and Wales) Regulations 2006) provides that a person who keeps, treats or disposes of controlled waste in a manner likely to cause pollution of the environment or harm to human health commits an offence of illegal waste disposal. A person who commits the offence "in relation to household waste from a domestic property within the curtilage of the dwelling" is liable on summary conviction to a fine and/or a prison sentence.
	We are currently considering further measures to address the nuisance caused by the burning of garden waste.

Housing

Andrew George: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs whether he has set a timetable for  (a) the development of a Government response to the Affordable Rural Housing Commission Report and  (b) a plan to implement those recommendations with which the Government agrees.

Barry Gardiner: The Affordable Rural Housing Commission delivered its report in May 2006. On the basis of the evidence collected, the report offers a range of practical recommendations for the Government and others on ways to improve access to affordable housing for those who live and work in rural areas.
	Some of the recommendations challenge existing practice, while others are in line with current Government thinking. To reflect this, and the dynamic nature of policy development, Ministers decided that a formal response would not be appropriate, favouring instead an on-going web-based progress report. This is available from the Defra website at: http://www.defra.gov.uk/rural/arh/index.htm and will be updated every three months.

Integration Pollution Prevention and Control Directive

Anne McIntosh: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs on what basis he has set the charges to farmers to comply with the Integration Pollution Prevention and Control Directive; and if he will make a statement.

Ben Bradshaw: I refer the hon. Member to the answers I gave on 27 November 2006,  Official Report, column 302W, to the hon. Member for Beverley and Holderness (Mr. Stuart).

Integration Pollution Prevention and Control Directive

Anne McIntosh: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what discussions he has had with his Ministerial colleagues in  (a) Denmark,  (b) France and  (c) other EU countries on how they set their charges under the Integrated Pollution Prevention and Control Directive.

Ben Bradshaw: The Department holds regular discussions with other member states on a range of issues.
	In addition, I refer the hon. Member to the answer I gave on 2 November 2006,  Official Report, column 573W, to the hon. Member for Shrewsbury and Atcham, (Daniel Kawczynski).

Meat Imports

John Hayes: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what the value was of beef imported into the UK from Zimbabwe under EU import licensing in the last year for which figures are available.

Barry Gardiner: The following table shows imports of beef and beef products into the UK from Zimbabwe, including re-exported products from non-European Union (EU) countries, in 2005.
	
		
			  Import type  Description  Value (£) 
			 From Zimbabwe Meat and offal (other than liver), prepared or preserved 32,000 
			 Re-exports via South Africa Meat and offal (other than liver), prepared or preserved 24,000 
		
	
	These figures do not include re-exported products that come into the UK from Zimbabwe via another EU member state, as these are recorded only as imports from that country. There have been no imports of beef or beef products into the UK from Zimbabwe recorded so far in 2006(1).
	(1) 2006 data are subject to amendments.

North Eastern Sea Fisheries Committee

Iain Wright: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what assessment he has made of the effectiveness of the North Eastern Sea Fisheries Committee in  (a) achieving its strategic objectives and  (b) communicating its proposals and actions to relevant stakeholders in the North East region.

Ben Bradshaw: Strategic objectives and communications with stakeholders are essentially matters for individual Sea Fisheries Committees to consider. The role of DEFRA in these areas is limited to ensuring that SFCs comply with the statutory requirements for consultation on fisheries byelaws, as laid down in the Sea Fisheries (Byelaws) Regulation 1985 (SI 1985/1785). I am not aware of a breach of these requirements in any recent consultations conducted by the North Eastern SFC.

Pollution

Bob Spink: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what central Government support is available to local authorities to help them reduce their carbon dioxide emissions.

Ian Pearson: Carbon Management, which is part of the Carbon Trust, looks strategically at how carbon impacts upon public sector organisations by identifying the risks and opportunities associated with climate change. There is a specialist tailored programme for local authorities.
	Salix, which is a not-for-profit company set up by the Carbon Trust in 2004, uses Government funding of around £20 million to set up ring-fenced recycled loan funds in public sector organisations. Funding from Salix is matched by each organisation to support investment in cost-effective, long-term energy saving projects such as insulation, heating and lighting. Salix continues to accelerate its activities. Its local authority programme has doubled from 20 to 45 authorities, with more in the pipeline.
	Local authorities can also apply for grants to install microgeneration technologies under the Department of Trade and Industry's Low Carbon Building Programme.

Radioactive Waste

Peter Ainsworth: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what representations he has received from Nirex on the transfer of responsibility for disposal of radioactive waste to the Nuclear Decommissioning Authority since 25 October; and if he will place copies of those representations in the Library.

Ian Pearson: Ministers have received no direct representations from Nirex following the announcement of 25 October. We have been copied in, for information purposes, to some of the initial correspondence between United Kingdom Nirex Limited (Nirex) and Nirex CLG Limited (the Company Limited by Guarantee). The correspondence concerned the commercial, contractual and timing aspects of the transfer of Nirex ownership to the Nuclear Decommissioning Authority (NDA), through share sale. This was proposed in the statement given by the Secretary of State to the House on the 25 October.
	Consultation on the share sale continued from the date of that statement until its completion and approval by the Nirex board on 29 November. This was announced in a statement I gave to the House on 30 November 2006,  Official Report, column 114WS.
	The consultation resulted in agreement to:
	(i) a period of at least three months to discuss future organisational integration arrangements;
	(ii) set in place of a reconstituted Nirex board and a Transition Team consisting of both Nirex and NDA representatives to oversee these arrangements;
	It was also agreed that the Nirex chair would continue to chair the reconstituted board for this transitional period. An addendum in the sale and purchase agreement covered staff issues. In addition I have met and discussed the arrangements with Prospect union representatives. I have also met the Nirex chair and spoken to the chair of the NDA.

Research Budget

Mark Williams: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what the effect will be of the conclusions of his Department's summer budget review on funds available for sustainable food and farming research.

Barry Gardiner: holding answer 4 December 2006
	The sustainable food and farming research budget for 2006-07 was reduced from £34.019 million to £33.291 million following the summer budget review.

Rural Payments Agency

John Hayes: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what the 10 largest amounts of unpaid rural payments grants were.

Barry Gardiner: The 10 largest amounts of money outstanding to single payment scheme claimants for the 2005 scheme year range from the highest figure of £31,307 to the lowest of £11,105.
	These figures refer to the highest ten claims in value that have not received any money at all, either in the form of a partial or full payment. They are all in the 'priority one' category, namely claimants who have received no money and are owed over €1,000 or £682, to whom the Rural Payments Agency (RPA) has assigned individual case workers in order to have direct contact with the customers and expedite their claims. All these top 10 claims are being held up for probate reasons. Such claims have historically proved difficult to resolve speedily and despite the best and continuing efforts of RPA are outside their direct control. There are 41 priority one cases in all.

Soil Guideline Values

Malcolm Moss: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs 
	(1)  who is on the Task Force looking at soil guideline values; how often it has met; what its main priorities are; and what the timetable is for publication of the values for substances being reviewed;
	(2)  what steps have been taken to ensure that soil guideline values are an effective way of measuring significant possibility of significant harm under part 2 (a) section 78(a) of the Environmental Protection Act 1990;
	(3)  what definition the Task Force looking at soil guidance values is using of the term significant possibility of significant harm set out in section 78(a) of the Environmental Protection Act 1990.

Barry Gardiner: The Soil Guideline Values (SGVs) Task Force was set up by the Government in 2003. It was expanded in 2004 through involving representative bodies in the contaminated land field, relevant Departments and agencies. The Task Force met on 16 occasions.
	The Task Force was established to look at issues around the production and usefulness of SGVs and related technical materials. These are non-statutory guidelines and information which can help with risk assessments of land affected by contamination, and establishing the need for any remedial action.
	At the end of 2005, the chair of the Task Force indicated that a number of issues needed to be resolved by my Department. Further work has been taken forward with her assistance and that of the Task Force, particularly through the paper "Soil Guideline Values: The Way Forward". This paper outlines a number of issues and emerging conclusions relating to the production of SGVs, although it is not a review of individual substances. It also envisages a number of updates and improvements that respond to and build on the Task Force work. The term "significant possibility of significant harm" is elaborated in the statutory guidance issued by the Secretary of State under section 78A(5) of the 1990 Act, and the words dealing with human health effects arising from intake or exposure to contaminants have underpinned the development work of the paper.
	I have arranged for a copy of the paper to be placed in the Library of the House. Task Force organisations are now considering it, although the Task Force itself has now been wound up. The paper indicates that our aim is to have completed improvements to current technical guidance by the end of 2007, with some key changes being available well before then.

Street Lights (Essex)

Bob Spink: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs if he will assess the likely effect of the decision of Essex County Council to switch off the majority of street lights during the hours of midnight to 5am on energy efficiency.

Ian Pearson: I refer the hon. Member to the answer given on 6 November 2006,  Official Report, column 709W.
	I will of course be interested to see how this proposal develops.

TRANSPORT

Airports: Security

Tom Watson: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what plans he has to introduce hand-held equipment for quasi-static electrical analysis of liquids at UK airports.

Gillian Merron: Government scientists have been investigating a wide range of techniques for the analysis of liquids for the presence of explosives. Quasi-static electrical analysis is one potential technique, but given currently available technologies it is not a technique suitable for operational use.

Aviation Noise

Anne Snelgrove: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport if he will bring forward proposals for legislation to tackle aviation noise from  (a) private and  (b) small commercial airfields.

Gillian Merron: Section 4 of the Civil Aviation Act 2006 gives the operator of any non-designated civil aerodrome the power to establish and enforce noise controls on aircraft using their facilities. This provision therefore currently applies to every civil aerodrome in Great Britain except Heathrow, Gatwick and Stansted airports. We have no plans to bring forward any further legislation on aircraft noise at this time.

Aviation Noise

Anne Snelgrove: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport how many complaints about aviation noise were made to each local authority in England in each year since 1997.

Gillian Merron: The Department does not hold this information.
	Operational noise complaints (as distinct from representations about policy) are properly a matter for individual airports, many of which regularly publish their own summary statistics of complaints or enquiries. Most complaints are directed to the airports or to the Civil Aviation Authority; and some to National Air Traffic Services, to airport consultative committees or to local authorities.

Consultants

Alistair Carmichael: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport if he will list the  (a) technical and financial contracts,  (b) technical consultants used on a call-off basis and  (c) financial consultants used on a call-off basis by (i) his Department and (ii) agencies of his Department since 1 April 2005; what the nature of the assignment for each consultant was; and what the value of work carried out by each consultant was.

Gillian Merron: Lists showing the technical and financial contracts awarded by the Department since 1 April 2005 for the central Department and its Executive Agencies have been placed in the Libraries of the House. These lists show the formally tendered contracts awarded for both specific assignments and the framework arrangements which the Department may place orders against on a 'call-off' basis. The lists show the nature of the work and a contract award value.
	However the central Department and its Agencies' accounting systems, which hold information about purchase orders raised, do not provide information in the format necessary to be able to separately identify the orders placed against 'call-off' and framework contracts. Actual expenditure incurred against such contracts could therefore only be provided at disproportionate cost.

Contractor Services

Alistair Carmichael: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport which contractors based in  (a) EU member states and  (b) other states have provided services to (i) his Department and (ii) each executive agency of his Department since 31 August 2005; and what the (A) nature and (B) cost of the work was in each case.

Gillian Merron: Providing details of the nature and cost of contracts and orders placed on contractors based in all EU member states (including the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland) and other states would entail the analysis of all purchase orders placed by the Department since 31 August 2005. This could only be provided at disproportionate cost.
	However the smaller sub-set of information containing details of contracts and orders placed with other EU member states (excluding the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland) and non-EU states can be provided and lists containing the information have been placed in the Libraries of the House.

Cycling and Walking

Emily Thornberry: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport when he will publish  (a) updated guidance on cycle friendly infrastructures and  (b) local transport notes on walking and cycling.

Tom Harris: We aim to publish the updated guidance, and two Local Transport Notes, "Policy, Planning and Design for Walking and Cycling and Adjacent and Shared Use Facilities for Pedestrians and Cyclists" in autumn 2007. We expect to publish a draft of the guidance for consultation in the spring. A third Local Transport Note, "Signs and Markings for Cycle Routes", is programmed to be published at the end of 2007.

Departmental Electricity

Bob Spink: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what percentage of the electricity used by his Department was generated from  (a) renewable sources and  (b) on-site microgeneration facilities in the last period for which figures are available.

Gillian Merron: Information on the renewable and on-site microgenerated electricity used by the Department will shortly be published by the Sustainable Development Commission.

Departmental Staff

Roger Williams: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport how many  (a) marketing officers,  (b) communications officers and  (c) press officers are employed in his Department; and what the total expenditure on communications for his Department was on (i) Government Information and Communication Service staff and (ii) other (A) press officers, (B) special advisers and (C) staff in the last year for which figures are available.

Gillian Merron: The full time equivalent staff numbers engaged on communication activities, for which figures are readily available, in 2005-06 is as follows:
	
		
			   DfT Central  DfT Agencies 
			 Marketing and Publicity 16 17.8 
			 Press officers 14.2 25 
		
	
	It is not possible to break down communication expenditure by types of communication staff (or special advisers). The GICS has been replaced by the GCN (Government Communication Network) However, Departmental external expenditure on marketing and publicity and press office activities for 2005-06 is as follows:
	
		
			  £ million 
			   DfT Central  DfT Agencies 
			 Marketing and Publicity 20.5 15.4 
			 Press Office 0.76 n/a 
		
	
	Marketing costs include campaign advertising and wider publicity. Over 80 per cent. of DfT Central's expenditure was on the THINK! road safety campaign. Two thirds of DfT Agency expenditure was by the DVLA in support of enforcement campaigns and to inform the public of changes in legislation.
	DfT Central press office costs include media monitoring, use of Central Office of Information's Government News Network and all other direct external costs attributed to press office operations.
	Press office activities in most agencies are not carried out by staff or units solely dedicated to this purpose. Full records of attributable costs are therefore not readily available and could be provided only at disproportionate cost.

Exhaust Emissions: Dartford

Andrew MacKinlay: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what assessment his Department has made of likely variations in pollution levels resulting from the proposed toll charge-tariff changes for the Dartford-Thurrock crossing; and if he will make a statement.

Stephen Ladyman: holding answer 5 December 2006
	The proposed change to the tariff is expected to manage demand and slow traffic growth at the Dartford-Thurrock river crossing, with a consequential benefit to air quality, compared with maintaining the current charging regime.

Government Car Fleet

Oliver Heald: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what the cost of the Government Car and Despatch Agency was in each year since 1996-97; and what the estimated budget is for 2006-07.

Stephen Ladyman: The Government Car and Despatch Agency (GCDA) was established as an executive agency on 1 April 1997. Its operating costs for each year since then can be found in the Agency's annual report and accounts. Copies have been placed in the House Libraries.
	The estimated operating cost for the current year (2006-07) is £17.8 million.

Minicabs

Brian Jenkins: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what plans he has to reduce the number of unlicensed minicab drivers.

Gillian Merron: Individuals who attempt to provide a taxi or minicab service without being properly licensed normally do so by plying for hire (waiting to be approached by passengers) or by touting for business (approaching passengers and asking if they want a cab). Both of these are criminal offences. Responsibility for enforcement falls to local taxi licensing authorities and the police.
	There are some minicab drivers who are unlicensed—lawfully so at present—because they provide a service under a contract lasting not less than seven days ("the contract exemption"). Section 53 of the Road Safety Act 2006 repeals the contract exemption. Those unlicensed drivers who currently rely on the contract exemption will in future have to be licensed in order to continue operating lawfully. We are currently asking stakeholders for their views on how long they need to make necessary arrangements before this provision is brought into force.

Private Finance Initiative

Mark Francois: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what the total capital value is of each private finance initiative scheme overseen by his Department which has reached financial close; over what period repayments will take place; and what the total cost of repayment will be.

Gillian Merron: A table with estimated total capital value, contract duration and estimated total unitary charge payments for PFI projects overseen by the Department for Transport that have reached financial close has been placed in the Libraries of the House.
	PFI capital values typically refer to the cost of constructing project assets. The cost information in the table is an estimate of these costs. They are estimated costs because it is a feature of PFI contracts that responsibility for construction risk is transferred to the Contractor. The final actual cost is the responsibility of the Contractor. The construction cost is an element of the unitary charge payment.
	The total unitary charge is a projection that covers payment for both the construction cost and other costs that arise from delivering the service. These typically include the cost of maintenance, managing the service, operational activities over the duration of the contract. The estimated unitary charge may vary over the duration of a contract as it reflects changes in the indexation of payments, usage related payments, contract deductions and service changes.

Railways: Fares

Iain Wright: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what assessment he has made of the effect of the recent increase in rail fares by train operators; and if he will make a statement.

Tom Harris: Regulated fares—those most used by commuters plus long distance saver return fares—are limited to an average increase of 1 per cent. more than inflation. The South Eastern franchise fares regulation is set at inflation +3 per cent. Other fares are unregulated and may be set at the operators' own commercial discretion. Information on unregulated fares is not collated by the Department for Transport.

Railways: Fares

David Drew: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what assessment he has made of the effects of differentiation between peak and off-peak fares and the effects on lower income users of the rail system; and what plans he has to discuss these issues with the train companies.

Tom Harris: The Department has regular discussions with train operators on a range of issues, including fares. Operators may only set regulated fares within prescribed limits. Annual average increases are presently restricted to inflation +1 per cent. except for the South Eastern franchise regulated fares limit of inflation +3 per cent.. Other fares are a commercial matter for operators. Trains compete with other transport modes and so operators have an incentive to price unregulated fares competitively.

Tolls

Bob Spink: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport whether his Department has made an assessment of the potential impact on pollution of a national road pricing scheme which takes account of vehicle efficiency and fuel technology; and if he will make a statement.

Stephen Ladyman: The Road Pricing Feasibility Study indicated that a well-designed national road pricing scheme has the potential to cut emissions significantly as well as congestion. The modelling for the study factored in anticipated changes in fuel efficiency. No further quantitative assessment has been made of the consequences of varying prices according to environmental impact. The road pricing pilots will help inform our decisions about moving to a national system of road pricing, and how it could take account of issues such as fuel efficiency.

Unpublished Studies

Alistair Carmichael: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport which studies his Department has commissioned and decided not to publish after completion in each of the last five years.

Gillian Merron: An answer could only be provided at disproportionate cost, as this information is not collected centrally. However, DfT policy on publications is provided in the departmental publication scheme (accessible at:
	http://www.dft.gov.uk/stellent/groups/dft_foi/documents/pdf/dft_foi_pdf_507544.pdf.

Written Questions

David Laws: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport 
	(1)  how many parliamentary written questions his Department received in each parliamentary session since 2001; and how many of these questions  (a) were not answered because of disproportionate cost,  (b) were not answered,  (c) received answers referring back to a previous answer (i) asked by the hon. Member and (ii) asked by another hon. Member and  (d) were grouped together for answer;
	(2)  what target his Department has for the maximum acceptable amount of time to answer parliamentary written questions; and what percentage of parliamentary answers met that target in each parliamentary session since 2001.

Gillian Merron: The Department for Transport was formed on 29 May 2002 since when it has received:
	29 May 2002 to end 2003 Session—3879 parliamentary questions;
	2003-04 Session—3556 parliamentary questions;
	2004-05 Session—1409 parliamentary questions; and
	2005-06 Session—6820 parliamentary questions.
	All of the above received an answer.
	The remaining information could only be provided at disproportionate cost.
	My ministerial colleagues and I aim to ensure that hon. Members receive a substantive response to their named day question on the named day and endeavour to answer ordinary written questions within a working week of being tabled. It is not possible, but the Department for Transport makes every effort to achieve these timescales.

CULTURE MEDIA AND SPORT

Betting

John Randall: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport what the value is of bets that have been placed on sports events excluding horseracing and greyhound racing in each of the last three years; and what proportion of the overall gambling market this represents.

Richard Caborn: The Government do not hold information on the total amount bet on sporting events. This is commercially sensitive information kept by betting operators.

Cathedrals

Edward Vaizey: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport how much funding her Department gave to cathedrals in each year since 1997.

David Lammy: English Heritage is a sponsored body of the Department for Culture, Media and Sport. It operates the 'Grants for Cathedrals' programme. The amounts made available under this scheme in each year since 1997 are in the table.
	
		
			   £ million 
			 1997-98 2.5 
			 1998-99 2.9 
			 1999-2000 2.9 
			 2000-01 2.5 
			 2001-02 1.9 
			 2002-03 2.0 
			 2003-04 2.0 
			 2004-05 1.0 
			 2005-06 1.0 
			 2006-07 1.0 
		
	
	The Listed Places of Worship scheme returns as a grant the equivalent of the VAT incurred in making repairs to listed buildings in use for worship. Cathedrals are able to benefit to the extent to which they cannot reclaim VAT due to it being attributable to non-business or exempt activity. The scheme started in 2001. Figures are not available for the totals disbursed to Cathedrals under the scheme.

London Olympics

Hugh Robertson: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport when she expects to answer questions  (a) 104517,  (b) 104518 and  (c) 104522, on VAT and the Olympics, tabled by the hon. Member for Faversham and Mid Kent on 23 November.

Richard Caborn: Question 104518 was answered by the Secretary of State on 29 November 2006,  Official Report, column 747W. Question 104522 was answered by the Secretary of State on 5 December 2006,  Official Report, column 265W. Question 104517 will be answered as soon as possible.

London Olympics

Nigel Evans: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport what contracts have been awarded for the 2012 Olympics; which companies have been awarded such contracts; and what the value is of each contract.

Richard Caborn: Since the establishment of the Olympic Delivery Authority in April 2006, the following major contracts have been awarded in respect of delivering the Olympic Park for the 2012 Olympic games.
	
		
			  Purpose  Company  Estimated value (£) 
			 Olympic Park Design Consultancy EDAW, ARUP and Atkins Consortium 59,000,000 
			 Delivery Partner CLM Consortium Costs reimbursable with performance-related earnings, potential value not yet known

London Olympics

Hugh Robertson: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport 
	(1)  what steps the Olympic Delivery Authority is taking to ensure that small businesses are able to access Olympic contracts;
	(2)  whether the Olympic Delivery Authority has set an indicative target for the number of Olympic contracts to be awarded to firms in  (a) London and  (b) the UK.

Richard Caborn: holding answer 5 December 2006
	Under EU procurement legislation Olympic Delivery Authority (ODA) cannot set indicative targets for the number of Olympic contracts to be awarded to London and UK firms. However, the success of the 2012 games will depend on the involvement of thousands of UK businesses of every size and plans are being developed to ensure that the opportunities are realised by all.
	The ODA is currently developing its final procurement policy so that the procurement of all work, goods and services is transparent, fair and open to a diverse range of suppliers. It will consider arrangements so that tender requirements are appropriate to the size and scale of the contract being awarded, to facilitate the involvement of small and medium sized enterprises. The policy is expected to be published early 2007. Businesses can register now on the London 2012 website to be alerted to contract opportunities and information.
	To ensure UK businesses are best placed to secure procurement opportunities, the DTI, regional development agencies, and the devolved Administrations will tailor existing business support tools, like Business Link, to drive up competitiveness and UK success in tendering for Olympic related contracts.
	We are also committed to exploring the potential for operating a Business Opportunities Network to link small and medium sized enterprises with relevant partners to compete successfully for London 2012 contracts.

London Olympics

Ashok Kumar: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport from which budget the VAT costs associated with the London Olympics in 2012 are expected to be paid.

Richard Caborn: VAT is paid by both the London Organising Committee for the Olympic Games (LOCOG) and Olympic Delivery Authority (ODA). The LOCOG recovers its VAT. The ODA has provision in its 2006-07 budget to cover the full cost of VAT. Discussions with HM Treasury about the future treatment of ODA's VAT are ongoing and my right hon. Friend the Secretary of State will report the outcome in due course.

Procurement Projects

John Hayes: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport what the 20 largest procurement projects initiated by her Department since May 1997 have been; what the  (a) original budget,  (b) cost to date and  (c) consultancy fees have been; and what the final cost was of each project which has been completed.

David Lammy: The list of 20 largest procurement projects since 2000 and their value can be found in the following table. Data for 1997 to 1999 are not available.
	
		
			   £ 
			 Refurbishment of 2-4 Cockspur Street, SW1 4.10 million 
			 Provision of Facilities Management Services 3.96 million 
			 Administration of the Listed Places of Worship (LPW) Grant Scheme 1.50 million 
			 Feasibility Study into the formation of Culture Online 1.34 million 
			 Validation of Olympic Games Cost 255,000 
			 Review of Non Departmental Public Bodies (NDPB) Programmes 224,000 
			 Project Management Training 240,000 
			 BBC Consultancy Requirement 205,000 
			 Study to Identify the priorities of Local Communities 151,000 
			 Provision of a Skill Audit Solution 136,000 
			 Management of a 360 Degree Feedback System 130,000 
			 Olympic Games Impact Study of Ceremonial Requirements (1)128,000 
			  126,000 
			 Promotion of International Arts in the UK 100,000 
			 Public Awareness Campaign—Digital Switchover 100,000 
			 Review of Public Libraries Standards 100,000 
			 Review of BBC News Digital Services 96,000 
			 Evaluation of National Regional Museums 89,000 
			 Research on Indicators of Mental Health and Social Inclusion Outcomes 87,000 
			 Touchstone Change Management Consultancy 85,000 
			 (1) Management 
		
	
	The information required to answer parts  (a),  (b) and  (c) is not held centrally and could be provided only at disproportionate cost.

Public Appointments

Charles Hendry: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport which public appointments have been made by her Department to former Ministers who have served in the Government since May 1997.

David Lammy: The following public appointments have been made by the Department to former Ministers who have served in the Government since May 1997.
	
		
			  Role  Body  Former Minister  Dates 
			 Member Churches Conservation Trust Rt Hon Frank Field 1 July 2004 to 30 June 2007 
			 Member National Portrait Gallery Rt Hon Robin Cook 8 June 2001 to 7 March 2006 
			 Member Gambling Commission Lord Mclntosh 3 July 2006 to 2 July 2010 
			 Chair West Midlands Life Baroness Crawley 30 September 1999 to 30 May 2002 
			 Member Olympic Delivery Authority Baroness Morgan of Huyton 1 April 2006 to 20 April 2008 
			 Chair Broadcasting Standards Commission Lord Alfred Dubs 1 February 2001 to 1 March 2004 
			 Deputy Chair Independent Television Commission Lord Alfred Dubs 3 July 2000 to 31 January 2001 
			 Member Millennium Commission Rt Hon Mo Mowlam 2 November 1999 to 9 October 2001 
			 Member Millennium Commission Rt Hon David Clark 19 May 1997 to 29 July 1999

Publications

Hugo Swire: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport if she will place in the Library copies of the in-house staff magazine of her Department for the last 12 months.

David Lammy: I will make arrangements for copies of the DCMS in-house staff magazine for the last 12 months to be placed in the Libraries of the House.

Voluntary Organisations

Iain Duncan Smith: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport from which charitable organisations her Department has seconded staff; and what position each person holds in the Department.

David Lammy: holding answer 5 December 2006
	The Department currently seconds four staff from organisations with charitable status: two are from the British Library, and two are from English Heritage.
	Two of the staff are policy advisers at DCMS Grade B and C (HEO and EO equivalent) and two are policy assistants at DCMS Grade D (AO equivalent).

Written Questions

David Laws: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport how many parliamentary written questions her Department received in each parliamentary session since 2001; and how many of these questions  (a) were not answered because of disproportionate cost,  (b) were not answered,  (c) received answers referring back to a previous answer (i) asked by the hon. Member and (ii) asked by another hon. Member and  (d) were grouped together for answer.

David Lammy: The number of parliamentary written questions tabled to the Department for Culture, Media and Sport in each parliamentary session since 2001 is as follows:
	
		
			  Session  PQs received( 1) 
			 2001-02 2,535 
			 2002-03 1,492 
			 2003-04 1,389 
			 2004-05 673 
			 2005-06 3,080 
			 (1 )Information obtained from the DCMS Parliamentary Questions database. 
		
	
	All questions either received an answer or were transferred to another Government Department for reply. We are unable to provide the other information you requested without incurring disproportionate cost. However all DCMS answers are a matter of public record and can be found in the  Official Report.

WALES

Consultants

John Hayes: To ask the Secretary of State for Wales which 10 consultancy fees charged to his Department since May 1997 were the most expensive.

Peter Hain: The Wales Office has paid five consultancy fees since being established in July 1999. They are as follows:
	
		
			   £ 
			 Eduserv 13,566 
			 Helen Bennet 20,408 
			 Inbucon 18,815 
			 Unisys 2,619 
			 ER Consultants 37,699

Departmental Energy Policy

Brian Jenkins: To ask the Secretary of State for Wales what plans he has to ensure that his Department becomes carbon neutral.

Peter Hain: The Carbon Trust completed an audit of the Wales Office energy usage at Gwydyr House in May 2006. The recommendations of the report have been implemented together with internal efficiency saving and monitoring ideas to reduce our carbon emissions.
	The Wales Office are planning to offset all carbon emissions recorded by the Carbon Trust together with our carbon footprint calculated from both air and road travel at the end of the year through The Woodland Trust Carbon plus offset scheme.

HMRC Offices

David Jones: To ask the Secretary of State for Wales what representations his Department has made to HM Treasury on the proposed closures of HM Revenue and Customs offices in Wales.

Peter Hain: My hon. Friend, the Under-Secretary of State wrote in November to the Paymaster General, Dawn Primarolo, concerning the HM Revenue and Customs Change programme. He will also be meeting the Paymaster General in January to discuss the programme further.

IT Projects

Vincent Cable: To ask the Secretary of State for Wales how many information technology projects within the responsibility of his Department, its agencies and their predecessors have been cancelled since 1997; what the total cost was of each project at cancellation; and if he will make a statement.

Peter Hain: None.

Public Opinion Research

Vincent Cable: To ask the Secretary of State for Wales how much his Department spent on commissioning public opinion research in each of the last five years for which records are available.

Peter Hain: Nil.

Railways

Don Touhig: To ask the Secretary of State for Wales what discussions he has had with Railtrack to resolve the issue of trains from the Ebbw Valley going directly to Newport when the line is re-opened in 2007.

Peter Hain: None.
	The Railways Act 2005 enables the Welsh Assembly Government to give financial assistance to any organisation for the purpose of developing Welsh railways. As yet, no funding has been committed to providing a direct rail service from the Ebbw Valley into Newport.
	There is currently insufficient capacity on Network Rail's infrastructure to provide a passenger train service to Newport—this is due to the design of the connection between the Ebbw Vale Line and the South Wales Main Line at Gaer Junction, situated on the western side of Newport Railway Tunnel and the track and signalling layout through Newport.
	The earliest opportunity to remove this capacity constraint will be in 2009, when Network Rail completes the re-signalling of the main line at Newport. Network Rail will need to install new crossover points in order to remove the capacity constraint. Network Rail will require external funding for the new crossover points, as it is regarded as an enhancement rather than a steady state renewal.
	The Assembly Government has recently received from Network Rail a detailed proposal with costing for that work. This is under discussion with Sewta—the south east Wales local authority regional transport consortium. In the first place, it will be for Sewta to propose the priority that should be awarded to that project in the context of its proposed overall rail improvement projects. In the meantime the Assembly Government has committed funding for a rail-link bus service between Rogerstone Station and Newport Station and Shopping Centre when the Ebbw Vale-Cardiff service starts in 2007.

INTERNATIONAL DEVELOPMENT

Burma

Mark Simmonds: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development which areas of Burma have the highest rates of malaria; and whether the Three Diseases Fund for Burma is able to operate in these areas.

Gareth Thomas: Malaria is a major cause of morbidity and mortality in Burma, but reliable statistics on geographical distribution of malaria morbidity and mortality are very limited. We believe that the disease is endemic in 284 out of 324 townships, primarily in rural areas but also in some peri-urban locations. According to the Burmese authorities' official statistics, reported malaria outbreaks have increased over the past 10 years; and most outbreaks have been reported in Shan and Rakhine states and in Mandalay, Taninthayi, Magway and Bago divisions. A recent report by the Back Pack Health Worker Teams also identified very high rates of malaria infection in conflict areas in Karen State.
	The Three Diseases Fund is not yet funding any work in Burma. However, it will seek to gradually extend its operations to reach all of those most at risk from the Three Diseases. The Three Diseases Fund will continue its dialogue with the Burmese authorities about improving access for the UN and international NGOs in all areas of the country. It will also seek to strengthen dialogues with community-based organisations, local non-governmental organisations and ceasefire groups about how they can contribute to the Fund's efforts to deliver services in the most difficult to reach areas .

Burma

Mark Simmonds: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development how many people in Burma with  (a) HIV/AIDS,  (b) TB and  (c) malaria are expected to receive services from projects funded by the Three Diseases Fund in each year of its operation.

Gareth Thomas: DFID's economic appraisal suggests that if the US$ 100 million indicated by donors is indeed committed, then over the next five years the Three Diseases Fund should generate around 20 million additional healthy years of life, or put another way, save the lives of over one million people.

Correspondence

Gerald Kaufman: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development when he expects to reply to the letter dated 18 October from the right hon. Member for Manchester, Gorton with regard to M. A. Knowles, transferred from HM Treasury.

Hilary Benn: The letter of 18 October from my right hon. Friend for Manchester, Gorton, on behalf of his constituent M. A. Knowles was received in DFID on 6 November. A reply was issued on 27 November on behalf of myself and the Chancellor of the Exchequer. I apologise for the delay.

Departmental Finance

Annette Brooke: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development how much his Department contributed to  (a) microfinance and  (b) microcredit in each financial year since 2000-01.

Gareth Thomas: DFID has spent about £96 million since April 2003 supporting microfinance projects. The majority of this funding has been to build the capacity of microfinance institutions to serve greater numbers of poor people with a better range of services and at a lower cost.
	We estimate the breakdown of DFID's spending on microfinance over the last three financial years to be about:
	
		
			   £ million 
			 2003-04 40 
			 2004-05 23 
			 2005-06 23 
			 Current financial year up to the end of October 2006 10 
		
	
	DFID also supports microfinance through its core funding to International Financial Institutions such as the World Bank.
	DFID has programmes in six countries that provide funding to microfinance institutions and promote more conducive policy and regulatory environments for microfinance. DFID also supports initiatives such as the Consultative Group to Assist the Poor (CGAP) that cover many more countries.

Departmental Staff

John Hayes: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development how many temporary employees were contracted to work for his Department in 2005-06; and what the total cost of such employees was in  (a) 2005-06 and  (b) 1997-98.

Gareth Thomas: DFID does not hold information centrally on the number of temporary staff engaged from time-to-time, and this could be secured only at disproportionate cost.
	From 2005-06, information on agency costs, and those employed on similar short term contracts, has been collated when preparing DFID's Resource Accounts. The total agency costs for 2005-06 were £3.8 million. The costs of those on short term contracts was £1.7 million. The equivalent information for 1997-98 is not available.
	From 1 January 2007, DFID will be joining an existing scheme, set up by the Prison Service, for the provision of temporary staff. Once the new arrangements come into force, information on the numbers of temporary staff engaged by DFID, together with the duration of their appointments, will be available from a central source.

Developing Countries: Human Trafficking

Peter Bone: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what action he is taking on human trafficking in developing countries.

Gareth Thomas: I refer the hon. Member to the answer given on 21 November 2006,  Official Report, column 25W by the Secretary of State for International Development to the hon. Member for South Holland and The Deepings (Mr. Hayes).

South Africa

David Hamilton: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development how much the UK has given in financial aid to South Africa since the ending of apartheid.

Hilary Benn: Since 1994, when apartheid ended in South Africa, the UK has provided a total of £511,086 million of bilateral development assistance to the country. This sum is the total of UK funds provided to technical co-operation programmes; humanitarian assistance; grants and other aid-in-kind; and aid from other UK official sources, such as from CDC. None of this funding has been provided in the form of financial aid. (Financial aid to a partner Government is a grant, which is the subject of a formal written arrangement under which the partner Government is responsible for expenditure.)

Special Advisers

Mark Hoban: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development how many of his Department's civil servants work full-time to support departmental special advisers; and what the salary is of each such civil servant.

Gareth Thomas: Only one civil servant in DFID works full-time in support of our special advisers. The salary for that post is currently within the range £20,604 to £24,665 a year.

Street Children

Philip Hollobone: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development how much of the Department's expenditure on anti-HIV/AIDS projects is being directed to schemes involving street children; and how the effectiveness of this aid is measured.

Gareth Thomas: Over three years (from 2005-06 to 2007-08) the UK Government will spend at least £1.5 billion on AIDS-related work in the developing world. At least £150 million will be spent on programmes to meet the needs of orphans and other children, particularly those in Africa, made vulnerable by HIV and AIDS. We do not record or report expenditure specifically on street children. Expenditure on street children will be part of the £150 million commitment to orphans and vulnerable children.
	An example of DFID's support in this area is the £450,000 contribution to the Street and Working Children Programme in Burma. One element of this programme was HIV and AIDS education. In 2005-06 DFID provided £32 million in core funding to UNICEF whose work includes programmes to help street children affected by AIDS.
	The effectiveness of DFID's bilateral aid projects and programmes is measured using monitoring and evaluation at the project and programme level. An interim evaluation of the UK's strategy for tackling HIV and AIDS in the developing world, Taking Action, is currently taking place and final reports will be published in early 2007.

SOLICITOR-GENERAL

CPS

Philip Hollobone: To ask the Solicitor-General what the role is of the Crown Prosecution Service in Northamptonshire in securing compensation for victims in prosecuting offenders.

Mike O'Brien: Crown Prosecutors have a longstanding duty to seek compensation for victims in appropriate cases. The Prosecutor's Pledge, which was launched earlier this year by the Attorney General and sets out the level of service victims can expect from prosecutors, expressly states that crown prosecutors should always consider making any relevant application for ancillary orders such as compensation.
	In practice, the police will provide the necessary details regarding the extent of the loss suffered and where this is not done, the onus is on the crown prosecutor to seek this information from the victim via the police.

DEFENCE

Army Recruitment

Ann Winterton: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how many people were recruited to the Regular Army in each of the last 12 months; and how many of these recruits became trained soldiers.

Derek Twigg: The following table provides intake figures for untrained soldiers to the Army in each of the last 12 months up to 1 October 2006:
	
		
			  Intake in the month up to:  Soldiers 
			 1 November 2005 980 
			 1 December 2005 940 
			 1 January 2006 200 
			 1 February 2006 2,020 
			 1 March 2006 790 
			 1 April 2006 1,040 
			 1 May 2006 830 
			 1 June 2006 980 
			 1 July 2006 590 
			 1 August 2006 950 
			 1 September 2006 1,070 
			 1 October 2006 2,200 
			 Total 12,580 
			  Notes: 1. The figures show UK Regular Army personnel, including nursing services, but exclude full-time reserve service personnel, Gurkhas, the Home Service battalions of the Royal Irish Regiment and mobilised Reservists. 2. All figures are rounded and, as such, totals may not always equal the sum of the parts. When rounding to the nearest 10, numbers ending in five have been rounded to the nearest multiple of 20 to prevent systematic bias. 
		
	
	Of the 12,580 soldiers who joined the untrained strength of the UK Regular Army between 1 October 2005 and 30 September 2006, 1,550 soldiers have subsequently become trained during this period. As at 1 October 2006, 8,730 soldiers were still undergoing phase 1 or 2 training at this time.

Army Recruitment

Ann Winterton: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what the leaving figures for the Regular Army have been for each of the last 12 months.

Derek Twigg: Figures for 'Outflow from UK Regular Forces' can be found in Tri-Service Publication 1 (TSP1). TSP1 is a monthly publication; copies are available in the Library of the House and can also be found at www.dasa.mod.uk.

Army Recruitment

David Hamilton: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how many people  (a) left and  (b) were recruited to the Army in 2005-06.

Derek Twigg: Figures for 'Outflow from UK Regular Forces' and 'Intake from civilian life to UK Regular Forces' can be found in Tri-Service Publication 1 (TSP1). TSP1 is a monthly publication; copies are available in the Library of the House and can also be found at www.dasa.mod.uk. The most recent publication showing data as at 1 October 2006 situation date also shows data on outflow and intake during 2005-06.

Departmental Funding

Mark Harper: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what estimate he has made of  (a) the total funding necessary for all operational force enhancements referred to in his written statement of 24 July 2006 and  (b) the amount and proportion of such funding to come from (i) acceleration of existing funding within his Department's budget and (ii) new funding from the Treasury.

Des Browne: The investment in Vector, Mastiff and Bulldog vehicles is split between funding from the Reserve and the Department.
	Vector is a planned programme using accelerated acquisition procedures to meet an urgent operational requirement. All 160 or so vehicles will be funded by the Department; contract negotiations for the second tranche of vehicles which I announced on 24 July are still to be finalised, so I am not in a position to confirm the exact cost of the whole acquisition, although it is expected to be in the region of £50 million.
	The Treasury is providing around £70 million to fund the procurement of 108 Mastiff vehicles, subject to finalisation of commercial arrangements, and around £30 million is being provided by the Treasury to fund about 70 additional up-armoured and up-graded FV430 vehicles, which will be known as Bulldog.
	The operating costs of the two extra CH-47 Chinook helicopters, whose deployment on Operation Herrick 1 announced on 24 July, will be funded from the Reserve as a net additional cost of operations, in the usual way.

Departmental Staff

Vincent Cable: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how many staff were employed on a consultancy basis in  (a) his Department and  (b) each of its agencies in each of the last five years for which information is available; and what the (i) average and (ii) longest period was for which a consultant was employed in each year.

Derek Twigg: Specific data on the number of consultants employed are not held centrally within my Department and could be provided only at disproportionate cost.
	However, I can advise that summaries of MOD expenditure on external assistance, of which consultancy is a part, are available in the Library of the House for the years 1995-96 to 2005-06.

Departmental Staff

Danny Alexander: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how many and what percentage of staff employed in his Department were registered disabled in each year since 2001.

Derek Twigg: MOD disability data are collected on employee self-declaration of disability, and may include staff not listed as registered disabled. The following table shows the number and percentage of staff in the Ministry of Defence self declared as disabled since 2001.
	
		
			  At April each year  Declared disability  Declared disability (percentage) 
			 2001 4,130 8.2 
			 2002 4,630 8.7 
			 2003 4,160 7.7 
			 2004 3,690 6.4 
			 2005 3,560 5.7 
			 2006 3,390 5.5 
			  Notes: 1. All numbers are rounded to the nearest 10. 2. Disability percentage is based on known disability and excludes staff of unknown declaration.

Electricity Generation

Bob Spink: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what percentage of the electricity used by his Department was generated from  (a) renewable sources and  (b) on-site micro-generation facilities during the last period for which figures are available.

Derek Twigg: The percentage of electricity used by the Ministry of Defence generated from renewable sources during 2005 was approximately 7 per cent. of the UK defence estate usage. The figures are published in the MOD's Annual Sustainable Development Report 2005 published in August 2006.
	Data relating to the percentage of electricity used by the Department generated from on-site micro-generation facilities is not available. This has been identified as an area for improvement and MOD is currently establishing a database of renewable energy initiatives which will include information on micro-generation facilities.

EU Co-operation

John Hayes: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence if he will list the agreements made since 1997 to which the UK is a signatory establishing UK participation in  (a) European armed services and  (b) a European armaments agreement not involving NATO; and what the level of UK participation is in each.

Des Browne: There are no standing European armed services, and thus no agreements for such armed services.
	Following the 1998 UK-France summit at St. Malo, the 2001 Treaty of Nice established arrangements for the EU to undertake military crisis management operations using forces contributed by member states. The UK is a full signatory to this treaty and a full participant in the arrangements which have been established to give effect to the European Security and Defence Policy.
	The UK has informed the EU of forces we might be willing to make available for use in EU led operations. Any request by the EU to use UK forces would be judged on a case-by-case basis and in the context of current commitments. The commitment of national forces to an EU-led operation remains a sovereign decision for nations concerned.
	The Convention on the Establishment of the Organisation for Joint Armament Co-operation (OCCAR—Organisation Conjointe de Cooperation en matiere d'Armement) was established in 1998 by Belgium, France, Germany, Italy, Spain and the United Kingdom. The UK participates in OCCAR's management committees and the management teams for the projects that we are involved in: A400M, Counter Battery Radar (COBRA) and Principal Anti-Air Missile (PAAMS) programmes.
	The Letter of Intent Framework Agreement, concerning measures to facilitate the restructuring and operation of European Defence industry, was concluded in 2000 by France, Germany, Italy, Spain, Sweden and the United Kingdom. UK officials participate in the various committees and groups which are responsible for implementing the agreement.
	Although not an armaments agreement, the European Defence Agency was established in 2004 by Joint Action under the Treaty of the European Union with the objective of driving capability development among its 24 participating member states.
	There are also many bilateral and multi-lateral arrangements (including Memoranda of Understanding) covering collaboration on specific projects.

Far East Prisoners of War

Mark Harper: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what meetings  (a) he and  (b)(i) Ministers and (ii) officials in his Department have had with (A) charities and (B) other organisations or individuals regarding aiding those that have not been awarded payments under the 20-year rule relating to the far east civilian internees; when the meetings took place; and if he will place reports of the meetings in the Library.

Derek Twigg: To respond to concerns that a number of those who do not qualify under the ex gratia payment scheme for far east prisoners of war and civilian internees may be suffering hardship, the Ministry of Defence has undertaken some work to investigate the feasibility of providing financial assistance to a charity supporting such individuals. I will place a copy of the record of the meeting on 25 May that gave rise to this work, between my predecessor, officials and representatives of the Association of British Civilian Internees—Far East Region and the All Party Group on Far East Prisoners of War in the Library of the House.
	The Department's discussions with the charity concerned, aimed at providing financial assistance to support its work for former far east prisoners of war and civilian internees who may be experiencing hardship, have been by telephone, e-mail and letter, rather than by meetings. The charity has very recently indicated that it does not consider it appropriate to accept this support.

MOD Police

Mark Harper: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what percentage of crimes that were classified as having a significant impact on defence capability was solved by the Ministry of Defence Police and Guarding Agency in each of the last five years.

Derek Twigg: Information prior to 2005 cannot be given in this form since the classification of crime having a significant impact on defence capability was not introduced until 1 April 2005. The information after this date is as follows:
	
		
			   Percentage of crimes solved 
			 2005-06 39 
			 2006—Oct 55

Renewable Energy

Charles Hendry: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how much energy consumed by his Department is acquired from renewable sources.

Derek Twigg: Electricity is, at present, the only form of energy consumed by the Department that is acquired from renewable sources.
	I refer the hon. Member to the answer I gave earlier today to the hon. Member for Castle Point (Bob Spink).

Service Honours

Patrick Mercer: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what his Department's policy is on the publication of the names of British servicemen and women who have been honoured for service in Iraq or Afghanistan by the United States Administration.

Des Browne: I refer the hon. Member to the answer I gave on 30 November 2006,  Official Report, column 812W.

Support Helicopters

Nicholas Soames: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what discussions he has had with  (a) the US and  (b) other NATO countries on leasing support helicopters from them.

Des Browne: holding answer 4 December 2006
	We are currently considering a number of options for increasing the flexibility, deployability and sustainability of our support helicopter fleet particularly for Afghanistan. These options include encouraging our NATO partners to do more, procuring or leasing more helicopters, and ensuring we deliver maximum capability from our existing fleets.
	I discuss regularly with my NATO colleagues the need properly to resource International Security Assistance Force operations in Afghanistan, including through the provision of sufficient support helicopters.

EDUCATION AND SKILLS

Agriculture Training

Daniel Kawczynski: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills what steps his Department is taking to help young people train for careers in agriculture.

Phil Hope: Land-based specialist and rural colleges will continue to be central to delivering the specialised skills required by the wide range of employers operating in this important sector. These colleges offer pre-entry courses to higher skills development to young people from 14 years and they work closely with local employers to ensure that the curriculum, facilities and qualifications reflect industry standards.
	Apprenticeships are the main route available to young people seeking vocational qualifications at Level 2 and Level 3. Apprenticeship frameworks are developed by employers through Sector Skills Councils (SSCs). LANTRA, the SSC for the Environmental and Land-based Sector, is developing with five partner SSCs a Land-based and Environmental Studies Diploma that will be taught from September 2009. A new statutory entitlement to study for a Diploma will be in place for all 14 to 19-year-olds from September 2013. LANTRA, through its website, offers career portals dedicated for both young people and adults which signpost routes into a wide variety of careers in the sector.

Chaplains

Graham Allen: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills how many publicly-funded full-time equivalent chaplaincy staff there were in further education establishments in 2005-06, broken down by religion; what the cost was of chaplaincy staff in 2005-06; what estimate he has made of the costs in  (a) 2006-07 and  (b) 2007-08; and whether he has made an assessment of the merits of providing equivalent pastoral support for those who are not religious and who may not wish to receive such support from a religious chaplain.

Bill Rammell: Colleges are independent organisations and free to determine how best to meet the pastoral needs of their students. We therefore do not hold information on the numbers of staff involved in chaplaincy arrangements in further education, or their associated costs. As we said in the White Paper "Further Education: Raising Skills, Improving Life Chances", good pastoral support is vital to improving the learner's chance of succeeding and is an important part of a college's responsibilities to its students. We have commissioned the Quality Improvement Agency to develop and issue guidance on effective pastoral support systems. This will include meeting the needs of all students including those with a particular faith or of none. Pastoral support arrangements are being piloted next year.

Child Care

Paul Goodman: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills 
	(1)  what consultation events were held with key stakeholders in relation to child care during 2006; which Government representatives attended such events; and what the cost to the public purse was of each event;
	(2)  how many structured discussions were held with parents through local forums about child care during 2006; which Government representatives attended such discussions; and what the cost to the public purse of each discussion was.

Beverley Hughes: We have consulted widely with parents and key stakeholders throughout 2006 and details of the principal events are given in the following table.
	
		
			  Event  Government representatives who attended  Cost 
			 Three events to support the consultation on the Ofsted Childcare Register were held for child care providers and local authorities and meetings were held with key stakeholders. DfES officials 650 
			 Eight events to consult with local authorities and Children's Information Services on the draft regulations and statutory guidance for the duty to provide information, advice and assistance in section 12 of the Childcare Act 2006. Also one event to consult other stakeholders, including delivery organisations and interested voluntary organisations. DfES officials 11,100 
			 Introductory conference with local authority Pathfinders to increase the number of hours and flexibility of the free early years entitlement for three and four-year-olds. DfES officials 3,000 
			 Two seminars for local authorities piloting the free early years entitlement scheme for two-year-olds. DfES officials 4,900 
			 Early Years Professional Status (EYPS) Standards and Requirements Consultation Events: four events held in Leeds and London. DfES officials 45,000 
			 EYPS Standards and Requirements online consultation DfES officials 8,000 
			 EYPS Standards and Requirements Consultation with children and their parents and carers. DfES officials 10,000 
			 Standards for Leaders of Children's Centres Consultation from 25 September to 6 November. One consultation event held in each region apart from the South East. Two events held in London. One event held for professional organisations. On-line consultation. DfES officials (1)— 
			 Three policy roundtables on the Transformation Fund to explore its use with the aim of ensuring the funding makes a lasting impact on the development of the early years work force into the future. DfES officials 15,750 
			 The Daycare Trust Listening to Families project included initial discussions with parents and children from five locations. A short film of these discussions was presented to the Trust's National Conference on 8 November. DfES officials 13,000 
			 Events held to consult on the development of the Early Years Foundation Stage attended by a range of key stakeholders. Primary National Foundation Stage Advisors 20,740 
			 Foundation Stage HE/FE Conferences March 2006 Primary National Foundation Stage Advisors 17,070 
			 None lead Early Years Advisors Conferences June, November/December Primary National Foundation Stage Advisors 63,300 
			 Joint DfES/LGA "Implementing the Childcare Strategy: National Conference for Local Authorities" showcased outcomes from the 12 Local Authorities who took part in the Childcare Implementation Project. Minister for Children, Young People and Families DfES officials (2)6,000 
			 (1) Costs were covered from within NCSL's budget for delivering the NPQICL programme. (2) Approximately. 
		
	
	In addition, the Primary National Strategies are continuing with ongoing programmes of events involving a range of stakeholders in the implementation of the Early Years Foundation Stage.
	The Sure Start, Extended Schools and Childcare Stakeholder Group, announced in the Ten Year Childcare Strategy Action Plan published in April 2006, has met three times. The group, chaired by Dame Julie Mellor, which consists of members from local authorities, health, the private and voluntary sector and frontline staff, advises Ministers on the implementation of the strategy and wider early years and child care policy. To date the group has cost £6,800 to run.

Child Care

Anne McIntosh: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills 
	(1)  how many children's centres are  (a) in operation and  (b) planned to open in the next 12 months;
	(2)  how much has been allocated to the children's centres by his Department.

Beverley Hughes: As of 1 December 2006 there were 1,048 designated Sure Start children's centres. We are on track to meet our 2008 target of 2,500 centres and our 2010 target of 3,500 children's centres, one for every community.
	Local authorities are responsible for planning and managing the delivery of children's centres, and future designation dates are subject to change as they revise their plans. Authorities receive ongoing support and challenge from the Department to ensure that their overall targets are met.
	The Department has allocated an indicative sum of £1.5 billion for children's centres over 2004-08.

Children's Services (Integration)

Paul Goodman: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills how many national and regional training  (a) sessions,  (b) seminars and  (c) conferences were held with social care, education and health care providers as part of the integration of children's services in 2006; what Government representatives attended such events; and what the cost to the public purse was of each event.

Beverley Hughes: In 2006 my Department arranged the following events to support the integration of children's services
	
		
			  Event  Government representatives who attended  Cost (£) 
			 10 Every Child Matters Emerging Practice one day regional events DfES/Government Office officials 493,760 
			
			 National Sure Start Month—in partnership with the Pre-school Learning Alliance, National Day Nurseries Association, National Childminders Association DfES, Ministers and officials 330,000 
			
			 National Conference on Affordable and Sustainable Childcare, Children's Centres and Extended Schools DfES officials 25,000 
			
			 Joint DfES, Improvement Development Agency (IDeA), CFBT Education Trust—'Making a Difference Locally' national symposium DfES/Government Office officials DfES contribution 7,830 
			
			 Joint DfES/IDeA 'Better Results Network' regional events DfES/Government Office officials DfES contribution 6,000 
			
			 9 Integrated Children's Systems regional events February to March 2006 DfES/Government Office officials 84,000 
			
			 8 Integrated Children's Systems regional events November to December 2006 DfES Government Office officials 120,000 
			
			 Integrated Children's Systems national seminar for the Voluntary Sector DfES officials 15,000 
		
	
	In addition, I, other Ministers and officials attended and supported a range of other events on topics relating to Every Child Matters which were organised by the Department's delivery partners. They included: a conference organised by Children Now on Meeting the Needs of Children in Residential Care; a two-day event organised by four children on Integrated Support for Children and Families; a series of regional consultation events to support the "Care Matters" Green Paper run by Government offices; a conference on National Children and Adult Services organised by the Local Government Association, Association of Directors of Social Services, and Association of Directors of Education and Children's Services; a conference on Safeguarding and Child Protection organised by Children Now; and a conference on Commissioning Children's Services by Barnardo's which will be held on 14 December 2006.
	Representatives from my Department and Government offices also attended training events co-ordinated by the Training and Development Agency for Schools during 2006 which helped establish targeted youth support arrangements in 14 local authorities. These events involved professionals from Education Welfare, Primary Care Trusts, Police, Children's and Adolescent Mental Health Services and Youth Offending Teams.

Creationism

Phil Willis: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills what restrictions are placed on individuals who sponsor academies in respect of the promotion of intelligent design or creationism in their schools.

Jim Knight: holding answer 6 December 2006
	Academies are required by statute to provide a broad and balanced curriculum, and by their funding agreements to teach the core national curriculum subjects and for their pupils to be assessed in those subjects. They cannot therefore teach a limited curriculum or one skewed towards one subject.

Creationism

Phil Willis: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills which schools are using the material provided by the organisation Truth in Science in science lessons.

Jim Knight: holding answer 6 December 2006
	Neither intelligent design nor creationism is a recognised scientific theory and they are not included in the science curriculum. The Truth in Science information pack is not therefore an appropriate resource to support the science curriculum.
	The Department does not collect information on the number of schools that are using the Truth in Science materials in science lessons.

Extended Schools

Karen Buck: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills how much was allocated to each local education authority to support the development of extended schools  (a) up to March 2006 and  (b) for 2006 to 2008.

Beverley Hughes: The funding allocated to each local authority to support the development of extended schools is set out in the following table:
	
		
			  Annex 
			   Total funding 
			   LA  2003/04  2004-05  2005/06  2006/07  2007/08 
			 Barking and Dagenham 120,500 164,000 435,088 737,345 951,069 
			 Barnet 25,000 218,000 542,318 964,178 1,196,661 
			 Barnsley 187,500 119,000 479,655 814,149 1,020,410 
			 Bath and NE Somerset 0 0 482,129 734,038 818,657 
			 Bedfordshire 0 0 726,806 1,118,420 1,424,510 
			 Bexley 0 0 575,094 788,035 906,694 
			 Birmingham 227,000 531,513 1,390,328 3,577,705 5,121,810 
			 Blackburn with Darwen 187,500 416,108 417,108 654,042 838,659 
			 Blackpool 187,500 119,000 391,922 563,887 697,065 
			 Bolton 147,500 194,000 549,005 950,348 1,162,847 
			 Bournemouth 0 0 457,524 662,836 725,805 
			 Bracknell Forest 0 0 415,658 575,002 616,252 
			 Bradford 247,940 745,302 786,236 1,789,116 2,385,752 
			 Brent 145,500 194,000 477,936 893,125 1,178,651 
			 Brighton and Hove 35,500 224,000 648,185 837,951 992,089 
			 Bromley 0 188,000 573,022 1,126,564 1,439,831 
			 Buckinghamshire 0 188,000 737,969 1,055,645 1,220,805 
			 Bury 25,000 218,000 729,463 1,424,580 1,688,227 
			 Calderdale 52,000 248,000 444,058 748,118 856,514 
			 Cambridgeshire 43,500 44,000 657,636 891,595 1,072,837 
			 Camden 120,500 426,007 855,047 1,795,249 2,231,655 
			 Cheshire 0 188,000 382,007 579,459 795,505 
			 City of Bristol 120,500 164,000 1,132,531 2,042,456 2,530,196 
			 City of London 187,500 119,000 39,500 50,000 50,000 
			 Cornwall 25,500 26,000 810,754 1,557,683 2,064,350 
			 Coventry 27,000 218,000 757,149 1,058,563 1,327,700 
			 Croydon 27,000 380,000 695,146 1,124,215 1,412,070 
			 Cumbria 0 188,000 937,352 1,655,847 2,278,173 
			 Darlington 0 188,000 352,618 524,659 620,343 
			 Derby 0 188,000 681,653 868,604 1,071,685 
			 Derbyshire 27,000 30,000 1,264,883 2,294,745 2,900,076 
			 Devon 0 783,412 972,412 2,229,739 2,964,951 
			 Doncaster 187,500 574,290 575,290 1,051,723 1,364,328 
			 Dorset 0 0 686,496 1,239,838 1,531,576 
			 Dudley 0 188,000 778,310 1,193,867 1,408,935 
			 Durham 106,500 304,000 1,132,439 1,674,463 2,239,225 
			 Ealing 212,500 149,000 509,175 968,909 1,273,348 
			 East Riding of Yorkshire 0 461,923 650,923 1,094,792 1,424,486 
			 East Sussex 0 188,000 889,952 1,498,094 1,830,136 
			 Enfield 147,500 194,000 553,665 1,040,550 1,346,451 
			 Essex 0 0 2,055,292 3,797,326 4,667,039 
			 Gateshead 238,000 175,000 436,164 702,247 888,295 
			 Gloucestershire 25,000 30,000 889,903 1,697,428 2,118,412 
			 Greenwich 146,000 571,750 472,642 852,563 1,174,571 
			 Hackney 613,160 557,160 413,160 729,689 1,012,630 
			 Halton 479,204 414,204 385,204 536,088 677,714 
			 Hammersmith 145,500 194,000 352,425 490,653 673,270 
			 Hampshire 0 0 1,547,339 3,414,149 4,116,348 
			 Haringey 233,702 700,234 459,376 857,888 1,194,133 
			 Harrow 25,000 218,000 442,797 816,945 951,329 
			 Hartlepool 421,484 353,484 354,484 462,891 569,451 
			 Havering 0 0 566,232 794,191 910,709 
			 Herefordshire 293,922 294,422 483,422 650,074 859,576 
			 Hertfordshire 25,500 26,000 1,418,158 3,204,991 3,774,002 
			 Hillingdon 52,000 248,000 503,022 888,381 1,084,794 
			 Hounslow 145,500 194,000 465,181 772,498 978,727 
			 Isle of Wight 0 188,000 375,675 555,149 678,230 
			 Isles of Scilly 0 0 303,373 150,000 150,000 
			 Islington 320,500 542,245 398,245 662,536 925,628 
			 Kensington and Chelsea 120,500 164,000 311,921 387,224 494,535 
			 Kent 135,000 338,000 2,396,257 3,995,795 4,967,897 
			 Kingston upon Thames 0 0 524,848 939,885 1,218,110 
			 Kingston-upon-Hull 187,500 523,848 443,406 646,577 697,885 
			 Kirklees 25,000 406,000 790,820 1,372,545 1,738,546 
			 Knowsley 456,863 503,863 429,863 724,828 993,519 
			 Lambeth 347,500 294,000 421,930 790,026 1,089,192 
			 Lancashire 104,500 868,000 1,824,687 3,531,061 4,515,291 
			 Leeds 120,500 264,177 977,855 2,144,841 2,761,511 
			 Leicester 212,500 813,950 560,445 1,079,113 1,407,637 
			 Leicestershire 25,000 291,508 956,150 1,980,150 2,343,795 
			 Lewisham 156,698 573,921 466,791 861,330 1,139,319 
			 Lincolnshire 187,500 206,000 1,361,711 2,112,980 2,766,561 
			 Liverpool 763,705 994,861 738,705 1,527,307 2,164,824 
			 Luton 187,500 119,000 462,928 758,724 959,640 
			 Manchester 684,602 728,602 684,602 1,635,156 2,421,213 
			 Medway Towns 79,500 86,000 612,316 917,640 1,088,495 
			 Merton 0 188,000 388,942 663,578 760,966 
			 Middlesbrough 238,000 430,945 401,945 590,771 756,402 
			 Milton Keynes 0 188,000 476,172 806,933 960,351 
			 Newcastle upon Tyne 213,000 145,000 492,263 868,780 1,173,788 
			 Newham 561,993 605,993 561,993 1,206,549 1,732,501 
			 Norfolk 52,500 244,000 1,381,814 2,448,290 3,283,723 
			 North East Lincolnshire 0 188,000 622,767 779,234 944,604 
			 North Lincolnshire 27,000 30,000 487,872 623,788 787,818 
			 North Somerset 0 0 500,566 648,309 772,058 
			 North Tyneside 213,000 145,000 445,885 693,010 847,350 
			 North Yorkshire 737,071 740,571 899,571 2,021,908 2,738,473 
			 Northamptonshire 27,000 30,000 1,191,199 2,053,639 2,549,150 
			 Northumberland 25,500 214,000 754,897 1,084,773 1,456,415 
			 Nottingham City 174,500 612,293 508,293 956,347 1,290,071 
			 Nottinghamshire 50,500 56,000 1,116,260 2,434,868 3,018,607 
			 Oldham 198,000 250,000 515,398 915,033 1,168,151 
			 Oxfordshire 0 0 879,687 1,657,520 2,057,992 
			 Peterborough 25,000 218,000 436,698 669,867 834,687 
			 Plymouth 52,000 248,000 698,163 953,563 1,128,931 
			 Poole 27,000 30,000 444,203 635,125 667,190 
			 Portsmouth 25,500 214,000 427,812 638,630 763,314 
			 Reading 120,500 164,000 355,884 459,842 535,722 
			 Redbridge 25,000 218,000 509,469 916,124 1,099,720 
			 Redcar and Cleveland 187,500 119,000 413,764 601,252 773,435 
			 Richmond upon Thames 0 0 449,250 682,745 752,169 
			 Rochdale 145,500 608,361 488,231 836,108 1,076,381 
			 Rotherham 187,500 119,000 547,983 971,182 1,212,822 
			 Rutland 148,023 148,023 336,523 398,086 434,511 
			 Salford 120,500 164,000 475,583 845,056 1,106,226 
			 Sandwell 212,500 825,029 578,146 1,127,731 1,455,553 
			 Sefton 213,000 145,000 553,603 959,510 1,184,746 
			 Sheffield 174,500 224,000 751,987 1,555,418 1,977,005 
			 Shropshire 404,890 405,390 594,390 946,177 1,253,388 
			 Slough 172,500 224,000 371,078 491,383 585,843 
			 Solihull 213,000 145,000 495,181 803,339 942,727 
			 Somerset 0 0 805,298 1,495,918 1,932,778 
			 South Gloucestershire 0 0 582,958 1,026,755 1,160,142 
			 South Tyneside 482,366 414,366 415,366 603,531 775,162 
			 Southampton 0 188,000 455,839 795,995 952,952 
			 Southend-on-Sea 0 188,000 608,913 716,094 827,087 
			 Southwark 496,514 644,514 470,514 931,518 1,296,140 
			 St Helens 187,500 119,000 440,366 681,143 838,880 
			 Staffordshire 27,000 30,000 1,178,327 2,537,634 3,121,417 
			 Stockport 0 188,000 539,129 908,857 1,056,525 
			 Stockton-on-Tees 214,500 149,000 456,063 723,166 900,828 
			 Stoke-on-Trent 212,500 149,000 496,125 862,786 1,125,827 
			 Suffolk 27,000 824,279 983,279 2,037,125 2,665,837 
			 Sunderland 214,500 591,651 562,651 993,968 1,250,885 
			 Surrey 0 0 1,238,111 2,732,066 3,142,681 
			 Sutton 0 0 506,835 789,036 881,497 
			 Swindon 0 0 518,554 697,933 815,212 
			 Tameside 104,500 304,000 500,135 821,066 1,006,162 
			 Telford and Wrekin 0 188,000 614,834 774,994 937,800 
			 Thurrock 25,000 218,000 399,824 577,380 678,537 
			 Torbay 0 188,000 371,535 583,668 676,349 
			 Tower Hamlets 500,498 549,398 475,398 993,708 1,554,467 
			 Trafford 0 188,000 667,984 886,097 1,012,145 
			 Wakefield 0 188,000 786,716 1,203,051 1,453,835 
			 Walsall 0 188,000 554,276 993,804 1,221,933 
			 Waltham Forest 120,500 164,000 480,947 808,949 1,063,201 
			 Wandsworth 187,500 119,000 419,089 705,640 927,109 
			 Warrington 0 0 531,944 870,072 967,729 
			 Warwickshire 25,500 26,000 827,442 1,687,088 2,052,631 
			 West Berkshire 0 0 475,117 731,194 845,252 
			 West Sussex 0 0 1,035,369 2,146,316 2,489,787 
			 Westminster 120,500 164,000 362,076 537,907 736,506 
			 Wigan 25,000 218,000 778,186 1,064,623 1,286,810 
			 Wiltshire 0 0 750,839 1,557,099 1,959,285 
			 Windsor and Maidenhead 0 0 440,403 604,940 660,990 
			 Wirral 0 119,000 599,656 1,141,393 1,529,894 
			 Wokingham 187,500 0 473,406 699,731 752,602 
			 Wolverhampton 0 164,000 507,550 895,516 1,138,045 
			 Worcestershire 120,500 0 852,837 1,658,211 2,002,709 
			 York 0 0 478,553 747,225 835,751 
			 Total 18,031,135 35,408,597 97,057,687 170,058,664 213,769,331

Extended Schools

Karen Buck: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills how many schools have been designated as extended schools in each local education authority; and what criteria for service delivery are required to be met.

Beverley Hughes: A total of 3,739 schools are currently delivering the full core offer of extended schools. A breakdown containing the number of schools providing access to extended services by local authority is included at Annex A.
	All these schools are providing a core offer of extended services. This is comprised of a varied menu of study support activities in primary and secondary schools and high-quality child-care 8am-6pm all year round in primary schools. These services will be provided on the school site or in partnership with local private, voluntary and independent providers. They will also offer: parenting support; swift and easy referral to a wide range of specialist support services such as health and social care; and wider community access to ICT, sports and arts facilities on the school site including adult learning. What extended services provision looks like in practice will vary according to the needs of each community, based on consultation through schools.
	
		
			  Annex A: Number of schools delivering the full core offer( 1) 
			  LEA  Total 
			 Barking and Dagenham 13 
			 Barnet 26 
			 Barnsley 14 
			 Bath and North East Somerset 18 
			 Bedfordshire 34 
			 Bexley 15 
			 Birmingham 130 
			 Blackburn with Darwen 11 
			 Blackpool 7 
			 Bolton 3 
			 Bournemouth 5 
			 Bracknell Forest 6 
			 Bradford 71 
			 Brent 15 
			 Brighton and Hove 26 
			 Bristol City of 16 
			 Bromley 15 
			 Buckinghamshire 3 
			 Bury 8 
			 Calderdale 16 
			 Cambridgeshire 59 
			 Camden 9 
			 Cheshire 23 
			 Cornwall 4 
			 Corporation of London 1 
			 Coventry 18 
			 Croydon 19 
			 Cumbria 85 
			 Darlington 19 
			 Derby City 42 
			 Derbyshire 44 
			 Devon 16 
			 Doncaster 8 
			 Dorset 23 
			 Dudley 5 
			 Durham 64 
			 Ealing 15 
			 East Riding of Yorkshire 30 
			 East Sussex 27 
			 Enfield 14 
			 Essex 124 
			 Gateshead 90 
			 Gloucestershire 22 
			 Greenwich 24 
			 Hackney 11 
			 Halton 13 
			 Hammersmith and Fulham 14 
			 Hampshire 41 
			 Haringey 18 
			 Hartlepool 8 
			 Havering 19 
			 Herefordshire 14 
			 Hertfordshire 42 
			 Hillingdon 3 
			 Hounslow 17 
			 Isle of Wight 33 
			 Islington 10 
			 Kensington and Chelsea 6 
			 Kent 75 
			 Kingston upon Hull City Council 30 
			 Kingston upon Thames 34 
			 Kirklees 62 
			 Knowsley 14 
			 Lambeth 16 
			 Lancashire 51 
			 Leeds 34 
			 Leicester 22 
			 Leicestershire 40 
			 Lewisham 21 
			 Lincolnshire 43 
			 Liverpool 52 
			 Luton 44 
			 Manchester 19 
			 Medway 16 
			 Merton 9 
			 Middlesbrough 15 
			 Milton Keynes 39 
			 Newcastle upon Tyne 57 
			 Newham 23 
			 Norfolk 58 
			 North East Lincolnshire 22 
			 North Lincolnshire 12 
			 North Somerset 14 
			 North Tyneside 12 
			 North Yorkshire 19 
			 Northamptonshire 33 
			 Northumberland 46 
			 Nottingham 19 
			 Nottinghamshire 36 
			 Oldham 12 
			 Oxfordshire 23 
			 Peterborough 17 
			 Plymouth 17 
			 Poole 8 
			 Portsmouth 72 
			 Reading 9 
			 Redbridge 11 
			 Redcar and Cleveland 60 
			 Richmond upon Thames 12 
			 Rochdale 16 
			 Rotherham 23 
			 Rutland 15 
			 Salford 10 
			 Sandwell 18 
			 Sefton 26 
			 Sheffield 38 
			 Shropshire 25 
			 Slough 8 
			 Solihull 15 
			 Somerset 51 
			 South Gloucestershire 21 
			 South Tyneside 19 
			 Southampton 17 
			 Southend-on-Sea 11 
			 Southwark 1 
			 St. Helens 9 
			 Stockport 22 
			 Stockton-on-Tees 37 
			 Stoke-on-Trent 21 
			 Suffolk 50 
			 Sunderland 60 
			 Surrey 46 
			 Sutton 13 
			 Swindon 22 
			 Tameside 14 
			 Telford and Wrekin 12 
			 Thurrock 8 
			 Torbay 7 
			 Tower Hamlets 14 
			 Trafford 13 
			 Wakefield 20 
			 Walsall 3 
			 Waltham Forest 19 
			 Wandsworth 16 
			 Warrington 34 
			 Warwickshire 37 
			 West Berkshire 43 
			 West Sussex 31 
			 Westminster 9 
			 Wigan 29 
			 Wiltshire 23 
			 Windsor and Maidenhead 9 
			 Wirral 17 
			 Wolverhampton 28 
			 Worcestershire 27 
			 York 18 
			 Total 3,739 
			 (1 )Data correct as at 5 December 2006

Higher Education

Jon Cruddas: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills how many students participated in higher education in each year since 1995, broken down by socio-economic category.

Bill Rammell: The latest available information is given in the following tables. Final figures for 2006 entry will be available in January 2007. The latest provisional figures for 2006 entry show that, as at mid- October 2006, the proportion of English domiciled acceptances from the lower socio-economic groups was slightly up compared to the corresponding point for 2005 entry (31.7 per cent. of acceptances are from the bottom four socio-economic groups this year, compared to 31.4 per cent. at this point last year).
	The figures are taken from data collected by the Universities and Colleges Admissions Service (UCAS) which are limited to students who apply to full-time first degree courses via the UCAS application system. The figures do not therefore cover part-time students nor those full-time students who apply directly to higher education institutions.
	The socio-economic classification was introduced in 2002/03 to replace the social class categories, and so the two sets of data in these tables are not directly comparable.
	
		
			  Accepted applicants to UK higher education institutions by social class for years of entry 1995-2001 
			   Year of entry 
			   1995  1996  1997  1998  1999  2000  2001 
			  Social class
			 I Professional 38,719 39,294 39,644 38,510 38,864 38,841 39,748 
			 II Intermediate 103,404 104,956 117,360 115,615 115,667 117,675 120,831 
			 HIM Skilled-non manual 30,271 31,301 37,333 35,610 36,286 37,778 38,774 
			 HIM Skilled-manual 42,541 40,919 44,804 44,207 44,474 44,415 48,412 
			 IV Partly skilled 19,780 19,852 23,507 22,692 23,097 24,152 23,114 
			 V Unskilled 5,039 4,900 5,620 5,329 5,538 5,535 5,604 
			 Total known 239,754 241,222 268,268 261,963 263,926 268,396 276,483 
			 X Unknown 25,782 27,067 35,050 36,257 39,139 40,322 48,989 
			 Total 265,536 268,289 303,318 298,220 303,065 308,718 325,472 
			  Proportion of students with known social background
			 1 — IIIN (percentage) 71.9 72.8 72.4 72.4 72.3 72.4 72.1 
			 IIIM-V (percentage) 28.1 27.2 27.6 27.6 27.7 27.6 27.9 
			  Source: Universities and Colleges Admissions Service (UCAS) 
		
	
	
		
			  Accepted applicants to UK higher education institutions by socio-economic—Status for years of entry 2002-05 
			   Year of entry 
			   2002  2003  2004  2005 
			  Socio-economic status (NS-SEC) 
			 1. Higher managerial and professional occupations 61,419 59,472 59,679 59,670 
			 2. Lower managerial and professional occupations 83,476 83,113 84,628 87,107 
			 3. Intermediate occupations 42,112 40,576 40,790 42,222 
			 4. Small employers and own account workers 20,056 19,992 19,881 20,668 
			 5. Lower supervisory and technical occupations 12,830 13,457 13,114 13,454 
			 6. Semi-routine occupations 34,647 35,254 35,516 38,866 
			 7. Routine occupations 15,855 15,183 15,199 16,062 
			 Total known 270,395 267,047 268,807 278,049 
			 8. Unknown 61,330 66,895 65,488 82,195 
			 Total 331,725 333,942 334,295 360,244 
			  Proportion of students with known social background 
			 1-3 (percentage) 69.2 68.6 68.9 68.0 
			 4-7 (percentage 30.8 31.4 31.1 32.0 
			  Source: Universities and Colleges Admissions Service (UCAS)

National Identity Register

Mark Francois: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills whether the Information Sharing Index will be compatible with the National Identity Register.

Beverley Hughes: There are no operational dependencies between plans for implementation of the information sharing index and for the National Identity Register (NIR) that will underpin the National Identity Scheme for those aged 16 years and over. The objectives of the index are quite distinct from the objectives of the NIR.
	The purpose of the index is to support local agencies in their duties to co-operate to promote the well-being of children, and to safeguard them and promote their welfare, as set down in Sections 10 and 11 of the Children Act 2004 and in the safeguarding duty for schools and colleges in Section 175 of the Education Act 2002. The data to be held about children on the index are clearly specified and limited by Section 12 of the Children Act 2004 and in draft regulations, on which we are currently consulting. This consultation will close on 14 December 2006.

Nursery Education

Anne McIntosh: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills how many mainstream nursery providers there were in England in  (a) 1995 and  (b) 2005.

Beverley Hughes: The available information on child care providers is shown in Tables 1 and 2.
	
		
			  Table 1: Number ( 1,2)  of registered child care providers for children under eight years of age by type of care—England 
			  Type of care  Position at 31 March 2005 
			 Full day care 12,100 
			 Sessional day care 10,200 
			 Childminders 70,200 
			 Out of school day care 9,700 
			 Creche day care 2,500 
			 (1) Figures are rounded to the nearest 10 if under 100, and to the nearest 100 if over 100. (2) Data Source:  Ofsted 
		
	
	
		
			  Table 2: Number ( 1,2)  of day care providers for children under eight years of age by type of provider—England 
			  Type of provider  Position at 31 March 1995 
			 Day nurseries 5,400 
			 Playgroups and pre-schools 16,900 
			 Childminders 97,100 
			 Out of school clubs 1,600 
			 Holiday schemes 4,200 
			 (1) Figures are rounded to the nearest 10 if under 100, and to the nearest 100 if over 100. (2) Data Source:  Children's Day Care Facilities Survey. 
		
	
	Local authorities were responsible for the registration and inspection of children's day care facilities until these responsibilities were transferred to Ofsted in September 2001. The figures for 2005 were derived from the Ofsted database of registered child care providers. The figures for 1995 were derived from the Children's Day Care Facilities Survey, which was discontinued in 2001. Therefore the figures for child care providers for 2005 are not directly comparable with the day care figures for 1995.
	With the introduction of the National Day Care Standards and the transfer of responsibilities for registration and inspection of child care providers from Local Authority Social Service Departments to Ofsted in September 2001, child care places were classified according to the type of day care provided: full day care, sessional day care, childminder, out of school day care or creche day care. Ofsted have produced figures based on this classification on a quarterly basis from March 2003. Their latest figures were published in their report "Registered Childcare Providers and Places, September 2006", which is available on their website:
	www.ofsted.gov.uk/
	Up until March 2001, child care providers were classified according to the type of provider: day nurseries, playgroups and pre-schools, childminders, out of school clubs and holiday schemes. Figures based on this classification were published in a series of Statistical Bulletins, which are available from the Department's website:
	www.dfes.gov.uk/statistics.

Prisoner Education

Paul Holmes: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills how many higher education qualifications were achieved by prisoners in each of the last five years.

Bill Rammell: holding answer 28 November 2006
	The data is not held centrally.

Schools: Arson

Stewart Jackson: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills what the total cost of arson in schools was in  (a) the Eastern Region,  (b) Cambridgeshire and  (c) Peterborough local education authority in each year since 1997; and if he will make a statement.

Jim Knight: holding answer 4 December 2006
	We do not have figures for school fires broken down by local authority area. The data we have is provided by the Department for Communities and Local Government (DCLG), which collects figures from the fire and rescue service. The earliest figures we have on school fires from DCLG are for 2000, and the most recent for 2004. These cover England and Wales. The costs are rounded to the nearest million and are derived from the then ODPM publication "Economic Cost of Fire, estimates for 2004". They cover property damage and the costs of the fire and rescue services attending the fires.
	
		
			   Number of fires  Total costs (£ million) 
			 2000 1,275 45 
			 2001 1,529 67 
			 2002 1,332 67 
			 2003 1,313 61 
			 2004 1,291 52 
		
	
	The available data do not differentiate between primary and secondary schools, or between the public and independent sectors.
	For the years covered, just over 60 per cent. of the school fires were considered to be the result of deliberate fire setting. Because of this, we have included advice on improving security and preventing arson in our new guide on fire safety in schools, Building Bulletin 100, "Designing and Managing against the Risk of fire in Schools". This will be completed shortly and we expect to publish it before Easter next year.

University Applications

Nigel Waterson: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills how many people from Eastbourne constituency applied to attend university in the UK in each of the last 10 years.

Bill Rammell: The available information on the numbers of entrants to undergraduate courses from the Eastbourne parliamentary constituency is shown in the table. The figures for 2005/06 will be available in January 2007.
	
		
			  Number of entrants to undergraduate courses at UK higher education institutions from the Eastbourne parliamentary constituency 
			  Academic year  Entrants to undergraduate courses( 1) 
			 1995/96 685 
			 1996/97 600 
			 1997/98 595 
			 1998/99 695 
			 1999/00 730 
			 2000/01 745 
			 2001/02 755 
			 2002/03 825 
			 2003/04 890 
			 2004/05 915 
			 (1) Students from the Eastbourne parliamentary constituency have been identified by their home postcode. Before 1998/99, figures may not be comparable with later figures because some institutions did not provide a valid postcode for their entrants.  Note: The figures are on a snapshot basis as at 1 of December and are rounded to the nearest 5. They cover part-time and full-time students and exclude students on writing up, sabbatical and dormant modes of study.  Source: Higher Education Statistics Agency (HESA). 
		
	
	The Universities and Colleges Admissions Service (UCAS) collects information on applicants to full-time undergraduate courses at UK higher education institutions but does not produce figures on the number of applicants by parliamentary constituency.

NORTHERN IRELAND

Benefits

Lady Hermon: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland how many people were in receipt of state benefits in Northern Ireland in each of the last five years, broken down by benefit.

David Hanson: The number of people in receipt of benefits in Northern Ireland in each of the last five years is shown in the following table.
	
		
			  Benefit statistics 
			   Number of recipients 
			  Benefit type  October 2002  October 2003  October 2004  October 2005  October 2006 
			 Income Support(1) 207,011 210,340 116,277 115,299 112,186 
			 Job Seeker's Allowance(1) 42,129 40,653 35,829 33,543 30,911 
			 Pension Credit(1) — — 106,647 112,699 112,788 
			 Retirement Pension 250,648 257,737 260,991 265,206 269,787 
			 Incapacity Benefit 108,593 112,615 112,723 115,608 115,598 
			 Attendance Allowance 70,983 71,369 71,279 69,467 68,454 
			 Disability Living Allowance 146,971 153,518 162,466 167,993 170,689 
			 Carers Allowance 35,893 38,572 43,327 45,091 46,221 
			 Housing Benefit(2) 125,602 125,469 125,817 129,588 130,839 
			 Widow's Benefit 6,707 6,016 5,199 4,558 3,928 
			 Bereavement Benefit 1,120 1,430 1,503 1,618 1,749 
			 Industrial Injuries Disablement Benefit (3)1,351 12,038 12,459 12,785 11,463 
			 (1) Figures relate to actual beneficiaries, namely claimant and partner as these are means tested benefits. (2 )It has not been possible to provide adult beneficiaries, namely claimant and partner for housing benefit. The information in question was unavailable for this point in time. (3 )This figure does not include all types of industrial injuries disablement benefit. The information in question was unavailable for this point in time.  Note:  This table represents the benefit specific situation for the point in time i.e. October of each year.

Correspondence

Lady Hermon: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland when he will reply to the letter dated 6 October 2006 from the hon. Member for North Down in relation to a patient being cared for in the Fintona North Ward at Muckamore Abbey Hospital.

Paul Goggins: I apologise for the delay in providing a comprehensive response to the hon. Lady's letter of6 October 2006. This has now been issued.

Cross-community Commemoration

Eddie McGrady: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what plans his Department has to assist those people who are working to commemorate on a cross-community basis significant events in the history of Northern Ireland.

Maria Eagle: The Arts Council of Northern Ireland is currently operating three programmes which can assist with the creation of works of art across all art forms and which may have a theme of commemoration. These are: Re-imaging Communities, the Public Art Programme and the Project Funding Programme.
	Re-imaging Communities is a three-year programme to encourage the creation of vibrant and attractive shared public space through the use of the creative arts in the public realm, which will celebrate life, enhance the physical and natural environment and help people feel part of the community in which they live.
	The aim of the Public Art Programme and the Project Funding Programme is to assist organisations to deliver arts projects which contribute to the growth of arts in the community for new and existing audiences and which reflect the diversity of Northern Ireland's society and culture. The Public Art Programme is designed to support the commissioning of new art for public places throughout Northern Ireland. The Project Funding Programme includes projects which promote inter-cultural dialogue and programmes aimed at growing audiences in areas of social and economic deprivation.

Departmental Expenditure

David Laws: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland how much has been spent by his Department on media training in each year since 1997-98.

Peter Hain: The amount spent on media training in the Northern Ireland Office is given in the following table.
	Information for the years 1997-98 to 2001-02 could be provided only at disproportionate cost.
	
		
			  Financial year  Expenditure (£) 
			 2006-07 670 
			 2005-06 Nil 
			 2004-05 430 
			 2003-04 Nil 
			 2002-03 Nil

Departmental Statistics

Theresa Villiers: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland how much his Department spent on statistics relating to the work of his Department in each of the last five years.

David Hanson: The Northern Ireland Office produces each year a wide range of statistical reports relating to the major areas of interest in the criminal justice field. The past five years have, in addition, seen the implementation of major reform of the criminal justice system in Northern Ireland through the Criminal Justice Review. The Statistics and Research Branch of the Department has underpinned this work with analyses and evaluations of many of the key reforms including in 2005-06 research in relation to topics such as equity monitoring, domestic violence, bail and youth diversion. Table 1 provides information on the amount of money spent on statistics and research relating to the work of the Northern Ireland Office from 2001-02 to 2005-06.
	
		
			  Table 1: Amount spent on statistics and research 2001-02 to 2005-06( 1) 
			  £ 
			   2001-02  2002-03  2003-04  2004-05  2005-06 
			 Criminology research 350,429 222,899 291,186 245,361 262,605 
			 Criminal justice review research — 133,067 278,158 215,244 568,184 
			 Consultancy fees 27,822 — — — — 
			 Salaries 440,681 545,398 552,914 577,854 626,241 
			 Total 818,932 901,364 1,122,258 1,038,459 1,457,030 
			 (1) It should be noted that these figures refer to the amount spent on statistics and research for the work of the Northern Ireland Office only and not to that spent by Northern Ireland Departments or Agencies.

Draft Planning Policy Statement 14

Eddie McGrady: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland if he will place in the Library copies of the  (a) advice and  (b) guidance provided to the Department of Regional Development during the preparation of draft planning policy statement 14.

David Cairns: Advice and guidance was sought and provided to the Department for Regional Development from a wide variety of sources throughout the policy development process of draft planning policy statement 14. The Department published an Issues Paper which elicited a wide range of responses. Copies of the Issues Paper and the responses to it have been placed in the Libraries of both Houses. It is also available at:
	http://www.drdni.gov.uk/DRDwww_Consultations/currentConsultation.asp?id=con38

Hospital Infections

Lady Hermon: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what recent steps he has taken to combat hospital infections in Northern Ireland; and how many people have contracted such infections in each month of 2006, broken down by hospital.

Paul Goggins: Recent steps taken to combat health care-associated infections have included the Department of Health, Social Services and Public Safety's "Changing the Culture" action plan on the prevention and control of health care-associated infections which was published in March 2006. It requires Trusts to hold a hand hygiene campaign this year and produce an annual infection reduction plan. A key message of the action plan is that infection prevention and control is everyone's responsibility. Then on 10 October 2006 I launched the "Ward Sisters Charter". Under the Charter, and among its 10 commitments, Ward Sisters have the authority to create a cleanliness culture within their ward environment while also encouraging patients and visitors to monitor and report on standards of cleanliness.
	The information on how many people have contracted hospital infections is not available by month and hospital. However, there is mandatory reporting of two health care-associated infections, namely  Staphylococcus aureus bacteraemias (both Methicillin Sensitive (MSSA) and Methicillin Resistant (MRSA) isolates), and  Clostridium difficile in those over age 65. These data act as a marker for such infections in general. Data on these two infections are only available up to the end of June 2006 and on a quarterly basis.
	Tables giving the numbers of these two infections, by hospital, have been collated by the Communicable Disease Surveillance Centre (Northern Ireland) and placed in the Library.

Household Statistics

Lady Hermon: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland how many children were living in households where the only income is derived from benefits in each Northern Ireland constituency in each of the last five years.

David Hanson: It is not possible to provide figures at constituency level due to the insufficient sample size available.
	The number of children in Northern Ireland benefit units where at least 90 per cent. of the income is derived from either state benefits or tax credits is given in the following table:
	
		
			   Number of children 
			 2002-03 73,000 
			 2003-04 79,700 
			 2004-05 68,900 
			  Notes:  1. Numbers are rounded to the nearest hundred.  2. As with any sample survey the numbers are subject to sampling error.  3. Data was sourced from Family Resources Survey Northern Ireland. The FRS was first run in NI in 2002-03.  4. A benefit unit is defined as a single adult or a couple living as married and any dependent children. There may be more than one benefit unit in a given household, but in such a case, each unit would be assessed separately for benefit purposes.  Source:  Family Resources Survey

Interpreters

Lady Hermon: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland how many interpreters were employed by  (a) each Northern Ireland Department and  (b) the Department's associated agencies in each of the last five years, broken down by language.

David Hanson: Northern Ireland Departments and their associated agencies do not currently employ any interpreters and have not employed any in the last five years.
	Instead, Departments and their associated agencies buy in interpreter services from a variety of sources, as and when required.

Medical Negligence

Lady Hermon: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland how many medical negligence charges were made against each Northern Ireland Health Trust in each of the last five years for which figures are available; and how many of those charges were  (a) dismissed and  (b) upheld.

Paul Goggins: The information requested is not held centrally and will take some time to collate. I will write to the hon. Lady when the information is available and place a copy in the Library.

Parliament Buildings

Patrick Mercer: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland 
	(1)  whether the Northern Ireland Parliament building Stormont is considered a terrorist target;
	(2)  whether training has taken place at the Northern Ireland Parliament building Stormont to prepare for a serious terrorist attack;
	(3)  what advice has been given to the Northern Ireland Parliament building Stormont on protecting the building from a potential terrorist threat;
	(4)  whether the Northern Ireland Parliament building Stormont has directly received any terrorist threat;
	(5)  what resources he has provided to those responsible for security at the Northern Ireland Parliament to deal with terrorist threats;
	(6)  whether a review of security at the Northern Ireland Parliament buildings will be undertaken.

David Hanson: I am advised that the Police Service of Northern Ireland (PSNI) has no current intelligence to indicate the existence of a specific terrorist threat to Parliament buildings, Stormont.
	Advice on the protection of Parliament buildings is provided to the Speaker of the Northern Ireland Assembly by PSNI on an ongoing basis and would include matters such as the security-related issues surrounding the handling of major events and VIP visits. Following the 24 November incident, there have been discussions between the Speaker and the Chief Constable of the PSNI and it has been agreed that there will be a policing presence at Parliament buildings for the plenary sitting days of the Transitional Assembly.
	All security staff in Parliament buildings are given appropriate training to ensure that they deliver the full range of their responsibilities. Resources for the provision of security, including the appointment and training of security personnel, are allocated from the Assembly's annual budget allocation.
	All these matters will be included in the Review of Security within Parliament buildings, initiated by the Commission for the Transitional Assembly.

Parliament Buildings

Patrick Mercer: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland whether any of the police force at the Northern Ireland Parliament building Stormont are armed.

David Hanson: Police are present in Parliament buildings for plenary sittings of the Transitional Assembly. Officers are armed with appropriate police weaponry.

Parliament Buildings

Patrick Mercer: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what permanent police presence there is at the Northern Ireland Parliament building Stormont.

David Hanson: A permanent police presence was in place at Parliament buildings on plenary sitting days until the suspension of the Northern Ireland Assembly. This then ceased with the consequent ending of sittings of the Assembly.
	The Speaker and the chief constable of the Police Service of Northern Ireland have recently agreed to a police presence being provided for Parliament buildings on sitting days of the Transitional Assembly.

School Transport

Gregory Campbell: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland pursuant to the answer of 28 November 2006,  Official Report, column 585W, on school transport, what the locations are of the first 10 schools that are involved in the programme of school safety zones during 2006-07; and which the other 20 schools in 2007-08 will be.

David Cairns: The Chief Executive of Roads Service (Dr. Malcolm McKibbin) has written to the hon. Gentleman in response to this question.
	 Letter from Dr. Malcolm McKibbin, dated 7 December 2006:
	You recently asked the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland a Parliamentary Question pursuant to my answer of 28 November 2006, regarding what the locations are of the first 10 schools that are involved in the 2006-07 programme of school safety zones. You also asked where the other 20 schools in the 2007-08 programme would be. As this issue falls within my responsibility as Chief Executive of Roads Service, I have been asked to reply.
	I should explain that Roads Service is currently finalising the selection exercise, to confirm the list of 10 schools at which school safety zones to manage speeds at rural schools, where the current speed limit is 60mph, will be installed by the end of this current financial year. Seven schools have already been identified, as follows:
	St. Mary's Secondary School, Brollagh, Belleek;
	Strabane Grammar School;
	St. Malachy's Primary School, Glencull, Ballygawley;
	St. Columba's Primary School, Boleran;
	Diamond Primary School, Ahoghill;
	Carrowreagh Primary School, Finvoy Road, Ballymoney; and
	Carr Primary School, Comber Road, Lisburn
	The three further schools that remain to be identified will be within our Southern Division.
	The list of 20 further schools to be addressed in the 2007-08 financial year will not be finalised until early 2007.

Tenant Debt

Gregory Campbell: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what the rate of average past tenant debt was in each Northern Ireland Housing Executive District Office in each year between March 2000 and March 2005.

David Hanson: The following table details the average past tenant debt in each Housing Executive District office in each year between March 2000 and March 2005. These figures include housing benefit overpayments raised before April 2004 as well as rent and rates arrears. It is not possible to separate out these figures.
	
		
			  Northern Ireland housing executive average past tenant debt 
			  £ 
			   As at March: 
			  District  2000  2001  2002  2003  2004  2005 
			 Belfast 1 576 512 926 1,037 1,216 1,069 
			 Belfast 2 562 793 765 699 1,037 1,065 
			 Belfast 3 516 489 753 756 1,202 1,256 
			 Belfast 4 516 684 770 1,044 1,114 1,146 
			 Belfast 5 527 494 718 731 926 939 
			 Belfast 6 448 644 661 729 1,063 993 
			 Belfast 7 402 357 532 444 557 754 
			
			 Bangor 443 592 658 841 897 905 
			 Newtownards 518 553 609 728 993 682 
			 Castlereagh 543 582 672 773 888 822 
			 Lisburn 456 583 676 787 872 824 
			 Lisburn 3 701 945 770 1,068 1,143 1,021 
			 Downpatrick 458 478 611 728 843 924 
			
			 Banbridge 383 385 472 493 602 671 
			 Newry 480 545 618 837 707 709 
			 Armagh 499 477 503 557 861 599 
			 Lurgan/Brownlow 354 403 479 500 491 392 
			 Portadown 341 456 604 583 979 867 
			 Dungannon 535 501 534 865 757 599 
			 Fermanagh 365 437 537 670 808 617 
			
			 Ballymena 354 363 419 566 655 660 
			 Antrim 398 428 483 559 500 467 
			 Newtownabbey 1 318 399 387 535 531 517 
			 Newtownabbey 2 600 622 711 684 665 695 
			 Carrickfergus 527 581 593 582 713 533 
			 Larne 411 435 551 636 647 671 
			 Ballycastle 256 273 279 611 779 595 
			 Ballymoney 354 346 440 573 685 445 
			 Coleraine 432 534 660 778 873 762 
			
			 Waterloo Place 137 144 167 205 278 411 
			 Waterside 586 590 937 1,086 1,253 1,285 
			 Collon Terrace 344 329 568 677 755 601 
			 Limavady 447 410 396 654 679 823 
			 Magherafelt 282 339 356 547 688 626 
			 Strabane 395 494 581 794 1,154 1,022 
			 Omagh 410 393 466 461 873 884 
			 Cookstown 363 363 323 400 498 421

Tenant Debt

Gregory Campbell: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what steps are being taken by the Northern Ireland Housing Executive to recover past tenant debts.

David Hanson: The Northern Ireland Housing Executive has in place a number of processes to recover past tenant arrears, which include: tracing procedures where necessary; warning letters; visits to the tenant to discuss a voluntary recovery agreement; and, legal recovery via a magistrates court.
	Unfortunately a number of former tenants do not terminate their tenancy in the prescribed manner and leave the property without any notice or forwarding address being given. In this instance internal and external tracing procedures have to be initiated before any amount can be recovered.
	In August 2006 the Housing Executive sought the services of debt recovery agents from the private sector on a pilot basis. The success of private sector agents in tracing the whereabouts of past tenants and the recovery of debt will be evaluated after a six-month period, namely February 2007.

Youth Unemployment

David Lidington: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland how many and what percentage of young people in Northern Ireland were  (a) unemployed and not in full-time education and  (b) economically inactive and not in full-time education (i) on 31 March in each year since 2001 and (ii) in the most recent month for which figures are available.

Maria Eagle: The Northern Ireland Labour Force Survey (LFS) can provide the information requested, but only on a quarterly basis. Estimates for the spring quarters (March-May) from 2001 to 2006, along with the latest estimates from July-September 2006 are provided in table 1 as follows.
	
		
			  Table 1: Number and proportion of 16 to 24 year olds, not in full-time education that are unemployed or economically inactive 
			   Unemployed (not in full-time education)  Economically inactive (not in full-time education) 
			   £000  Percentage of all  £000  Percentage of all 
			 March-May 2001 12 6 15 7 
			 March-May 2002 11 5 20 9 
			 March-May 2003 12 6 17 8 
			 March-May 2004 11 5 23 10 
			 March-May 2005 14 6 26 11 
			 March-May 2006 9 4 20 9 
			 July-September 2006 14 6 26 12 
			  Source:  Northern Ireland Labour Force Survey

WORK AND PENSIONS

Benefit Claims

David Laws: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many incapacity benefit claimants there are in Yeovil; how many claimants there were in each year since 1984; and what proportion of the working age population this represented in each year.

Anne McGuire: The available information is in the following table.
	
		
			  Number of working age incapacity benefit (IB) and severe disablement allowance (SDA) claimants in Yeovil constituency 
			  Quarter ending  Number of IB/SDA claimants  Percentage of the working age population 
			 May 1996 2,900 5.2 
			 May 1997 3,100 5.5 
			 May 1998 3,100 5.5 
			 May 1999 3,000 5.3 
			 May 2000 3,120 5.5 
			 May 2001 3,260 5.8 
			 May 2002 3,370 6.0 
			 May 2003 3,410 6.1 
			 May 2004 3,430 6.1 
			 May 2005 3,460 6.2 
			 May 2006 3,550 6.3 
			  Notes: 1. May 1996-May 1999 (inclusive) 5 per cent. sample numbers are uprated to WPLS totals and rounded to the nearest hundred. The figures are subject to a degree of sampling variation. 2. May 2000-May 2006 (inclusive) numbers are rounded to the nearest 10. 3. Totals may not sum due to rounding. 4. These figures should be used as a guide to the current situation only. 5. Percentages rounded to one decimal place.  Sources: DWP Information Directorate 5 per cent. sample and 100 per cent. Work and Pensions Longitudinal Study  ONS 2001 census population estimates.

Departmental Staff

Vincent Cable: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many staff were employed on a consultancy basis in  (a) his Department and  (b) each of its agencies in each of the last five years for which information is available; and what the (i) average and (ii) longest period was for which a consultant was employed in each year.

Anne McGuire: Management information is available from April 2004 for the number of consultancy commissions put in place. Information on the number of staff employed within those commissions is not collected because delivery is assessed against defined outputs, rather than inputs in terms of the number of staff employed. The following table shows the total number of new consultancy commissions across the Department:
	
		
			  Agency  2004-05  2005-06  2006-07 to end October 
			 Jobcentre Plus 17 11 5 
			 Child Support Agency 6 7 2 
			 The Pension Service 13 9 3 
			 Appeals 0 2 0 
			 Disability and Carers Service 0 3 3 
			 The Rent Service 0 0 0 
			 Corporate centre 81 89 44 
			 Totals 117 121 57

Energy Suppliers

Mark Lazarowicz: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions 
	(1)  how many successful applications there were to each energy supplier for Fuel Direct for  (a) gas and  (b) electricity in (i) each region of England, (ii) Scotland and (iii) Wales in the last full year for which figures are available; and how many applications were approved by his Department but declined by an energy supplier in each case in each year;
	(2)  how many applications to each energy supplier for Fuel Direct for  (a) gas and  (b) electricity in (i) each region of England, (ii) Scotland and (iii) Wales were (A) successful, (B) made by eligible consumers approved by his Department but declined by a supplier and (C) declined by a supplier in the last 12 months for which figures are available.

James Plaskitt: I refer the hon. Member to the written answers I gave him on 18 July 2006,  Official Report, column 392W.

Equality 2025

Jeremy Hunt: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how much has been spent on the administration and operation of Equality 2025 since its inception.

Anne McGuire: Equality 2025 will be launched on 7 December 2006. The planned forecast spend for the current financial year (as at December 2006) for Equality 2025 is £448,000.

Gender Equality

John Bercow: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions when he expects to publish his Department's gender equality scheme.

Anne McGuire: In line with the Sex Discrimination Act 1975 (Public Authorities)(Statutory Duties) Order 2006 (No. 2930), laid on 10 November 2006, my Department published its gender equality scheme on 1 December 2006.

Gender Equality

John Bercow: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what steps he is taking to ensure that  (a) his Department and  (b) the non-departmental public bodies and executive agencies for which he is responsible are taking steps to meet the requirements of the forthcoming duty on public bodies (i) to end unlawful discrimination and harassment and (ii) to promote equality between women and men.

Anne McGuire: In order to ensure better performance on the general gender equality duty which will require public authorities to have due regard to the need to eliminate discrimination and harassment and promote equality of opportunity between women and men, my Department will be taking the steps outlined in the Sex Discrimination Act 1975 (Public Authorities) (Statutory Duties) Order 2006 (No. 2930) which should come into force on 6 April 2007.
	My Department published its gender equality scheme on 1 December 2006, the same date as it published its disability equality scheme.

Health and Safety

David Kidney: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many deaths were reported under the Reporting of Injuries, Diseases and Dangerous Occurrences Regulations in the last year for which data are available, broken down by sector of employment.

Anne McGuire: The number of fatal injuries to workers by industry 2005-06 (as reported to all enforcing authorities) were published on 17 August 2006 in the HSE publication "The Statistics of Fatal Injuries 2005/06"

Information Prescription: Cancer Patients

Anne Main: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what the basis was for his Department's decision to undertake trials of the information prescription for cancer patients; where the trials are taking place; and what criteria will be used following the trials to decide whether the scheme should proceed.

Rosie Winterton: I have been asked to reply.
	"Our health, our care, our say" set out a commitment for everyone with a long-term condition to get an information prescription that would signpost them to sources of information to help them manage their condition. In piloting information prescriptions for people with cancer the Department is building on the progress made in developing information for people with cancer, including the information partners scheme introduced by NHS Direct. An announcement about where the pilots will take place will be made shortly. All the pilots will contribute to an independent national evaluation, which will inform future decisions about implementation.

Office for Disability Issues

Jeremy Hunt: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how much has been spent on  (a) setting up the Office for Disability Issues and  (b) the operation and administration of the office since it was set up.

Anne McGuire: The information requested is as follows:
	1. The Office for Disability Issues was funded from within existing DWP resources.
	The total administrative costs of the ODI for the first full year of operation (2005-06) were £1.812 million.
	A further £1.2 million was spent on programme costs to support the ODI.
	2. The planned administrative costs for the ODI in 2006-07 (as at 1 December 2006) are £2.581 million.
	A forecast programme spend of £4.363 million is planned (1 December 2006) for 2006-07 to support the further development of the ODI.
	3. The ODI has recently expanded to take on cross-government responsibility for Disability Rights. As a result the budget allocation for 2006-07 has increased to £3.7 million to pay for additional costs.

HOME DEPARTMENT

Acceptable Behaviour Contracts

Anne McIntosh: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many acceptable behaviour contracts have been made in North Yorkshire in the last six months.

Tony McNulty: Data on numbers of ABCs are not collected by the Home Office as they are voluntary agreements and therefore not suitable for central data collection.

Banking Services

Kate Hoey: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what consideration he has given to encouraging banks to implement the ATM SafetyPIN system or equivalent; and if he will make a statement.

Vernon Coaker: The Home Office, with the banking industry is constantly looking at crime prevention initiatives which improve the safety of ATM users.
	The ATM SafetyPIN system is one of the initiatives currently being explored by the ATM Crime Group, a quarterly forum, hosted by APACS (The Association of Payment Clearing Services) which Home Office officials attend. The group discussed the scheme at its last meeting in November and will be looking at the issue once information on the effectiveness of such schemes becomes available.

Bluewater

Patrick Mercer: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what anti-terrorist measures are in place at the Bluewater shopping centre.

Tony McNulty: It is Government policy not to comment upon matters of national security.

CCTV Technology

Tom Watson: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what discussions he has had with  (a) the police and  (b) the surveillance industry on the introduction of listening technology with CCTV systems; and if he will make a statement.

Tony McNulty: holding answer 5 December 2006
	The Home Office, in conjunction with the Association of Chief Police Officers (ACPO), has been undertaking a review of CCTV this year, and has been assessing how it may be used more effectively in reducing and detecting crime. The review's findings are expected to be known within the next few weeks and the strategy will reflect discussions with the police and other stakeholders, and will consider the current and future technologies that may be used in conjunction with CCTV.
	Any technology used with CCTV cameras will have to comply with current legislation before it could be used operationally. This includes a requirement to observe the Information Commissioner's Code of Practice on the use of CCTV.

Community Call for Action

Caroline Spelman: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department on what date the Community Call for Action will be implemented.

Tony McNulty: In our review, "Rebalancing the criminal justice system in favour of the law-abiding majority", published in July 2006, we stated that we would introduce the Community Call for Action by April 2008.

Crime Statistics

Brian Jenkins: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many crimes were committed by unlicensed minicab drivers in each of the last three years.

Tony McNulty: Data held by the Office for Criminal Justice Reform on the number of defendants prosecuted and convicted for certain offences relating to operating unlicensed minicabs in England and Wales, 2003 to 2005, can be found in the following table. Other offences not related to the taxi legislation committed by unlicensed minicab drivers cannot be identified as the data are not collected at this level of detail.
	
		
			  Defendants proceeded against at magistrates courts and found guilty at all courts for certain offences relating to operating unlicensed minicabs, in England and Wales, 2003 to 2005( 1, 2) 
			  Number 
			Prosecuted  Found guilty 
			  Statute  Offence description  2003  2004  2005  2003  2004  2005 
			 Town Police Clauses Act 1847 section 40-68 (except the offence of drunkenness under section 61 ) Offences peculiar to stage carriage and public service vehicles 337 292 283 270 248 233 
			 Criminal Justice and Public Order Act 1994, section 167 Touting for hire car service without PSV operator's licence 259 483 597 194 311 422 
			 Total  596 75 880 464 559 655 
			 (1) These data are on the principal offence basis. (2) Every effort is made to ensure that the figures presented are accurate and complete. However, it is important to note that these data have been extracted from large administrative data systems generated by the courts and police forces. As a consequence, care should be taken to ensure data collection processes and their inevitable limitations are taken into account when those data are used.  Source: RDS Office for Criminal Justice Reform.

Criminal Records Bureau

Harry Cohen: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what assessment the Government have made of the effect of records kept by the Criminal Records Bureau on the ability of those on whom records are kept  (a) to find employment and  (b) to adopt children; and if he will make a statement.

Joan Ryan: I refer my hon. Friend to the response given on 29 November 2006,  Official Report, column 770W.

CS Gas

Tom Watson: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many serving officers have been injured as a result of exposure to CS gas in the last three years.

Tony McNulty: This information is not collected centrally.

DNA Database

Lynne Featherstone: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department which research projects have been undertaken on the national DNA database.

Joan Ryan: Data from the national DNA database (NDNAD) have been provided to the following organisations for research purposes.
	 Forensic Science Service:
	10 projects relating to assistance to forensic providers for R&D papers, not specific investigations;
	one project relating to police operations, requiring anonymised NDNAD profiles
	one project relating to database improvements.
	 Home Office:
	two Research Development and Statistics projects relating to match reporting
	one project relating to police operations on behalf of Interpol (this was reported as G8 rather than Interpol in response to an earlier Freedom of Information Act query)
	one project relating to database improvements (this data is now provided as routine management information and no longer classified as research).
	 Police service:
	one project relating to police operations, checking against the NDNAD for named individuals.
	 Merseyside Police:
	one project using exhibits from solved cases.
	 LGC (forensic services provider):
	one project relating to assistance to forensic providers for R&D papers, not specific investigations.
	Requests for research must be approved by the NDNAD Strategy Board. The Police and Criminal Evidence Act lays down that DNA samples and the profiles derived from them can only be used for the purposes of prevention and detection of crime, the investigation of an offence, the conduct of a prosecution or, since April 2005, for the purposes of identifying a deceased person. In accordance with this requirement, the Board would not approve any research unless it had clear operational benefit to the police.

Early-release Scheme

Julian Lewis: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department whether prisoners convicted of plotting terrorist offences will automatically be considered for release after serving half their sentences.

Gerry Sutcliffe: holding answer 27 November 2006
	There is a variety of offences which may be committed for the purposes of terrorism and release arrangements are dependent on the sentence passed. Schedule 15 to the Criminal Justice Act 2003 (CJA 2003) contains a list of specified violent and sexual offences. Upon conviction for any of these offences, or conspiracy to commit them, an offender may be sentenced to either an extended sentence for public protection (EPP) or an indeterminate sentence for public protection (IPP). The schedule includes offences that may be committed as terrorist acts, e.g. using explosives with intent to do bodily injury, putting people in fear of violence, hijacking, hostage taking, offences relating to the safety of aircraft and railways as well as murder and manslaughter.
	Offenders serving an EPP or IPP are not automatically released at the halfway point of their sentence, but must have their release considered by the Parole Board, who will only direct release when they are convinced that the risk of re-offending and the risk to the public has been sufficiently reduced.
	Specific terrorism offences not contained within the schedule of specified sexual and violent offences would be subject to a standard determinate sentence. These offences include financial offences related to terrorism, membership or support of a proscribed terrorist organisation and withholding or failing to disclose information about terrorist activities. Such prisoners would be eligible for automatic release at the halfway point of their sentence if sentenced under the provisions of the CJA 2003. If sentenced under the Criminal Justice Act 1991, those sentenced to determinate sentences of four years or less are automatically released at the halfway point of their sentence. For sentences of four years or more, prisoners are eligible for parole halfway through their sentence. If parole is not granted then release occurs at the two-thirds point of the sentence (or at a subsequent parole review if earlier).

Football

Ashok Kumar: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what discussions he has had with the Football Association on guidance for police officers on duty at football matches on dealing with homophobic incidents amongst fans.

Tony McNulty: We have held no such discussions. The action to be taken against people involved in such incidents is an operational matter for the police or for the clubs.

Fraud

Susan Kramer: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what plans he has to incorporate lower and medium-sized frauds, other than credit and debit card fraud and internet fraud, in the British Crime Survey.

Gerry Sutcliffe: holding answer 27 November 2006
	There are no current plans to incorporate lower and medium-sized frauds, other than credit and debit card fraud and internet fraud, in the British Crime Survey (BCS) as other existing administrative and survey sources, such as provided by the Association of Payment and Clearing Services and the Commercial Victimisation Survey, provide a better measure than could be obtained from a survey of private households such as the BCS.

Head-cam Equipment

Tom Watson: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what assessment he has made of the effectiveness of head-cam equipment in  (a) evidence gathering and  (b) reducing the number of complaints against the police.

Tony McNulty: The Police Standards Unit of the Home Office is formally evaluating the equipment during the period running from September 2006 to February 2007. A standard procedural manual is being prepared, and good practice identified. The final project report will be published in April 2007, and will consider the effectiveness of the equipment in terms of reduction in levels of violent crime, improved sanction detection rates, savings in officer time, and quality of evidence presented to court (which impacts on whether or not an offence is brought to justice). There already appear to be ancillary benefits in that the use of the cameras is reported to have a deterrent effect, calming the situation and bringing it to swift resolution. Footage can be replayed to offenders immediately, with the result that they are far more likely to plead guilty, or to accept on-the-spot fines or cautions rather than contest the case in court.

Hizb ut-Tahrir

Patrick Mercer: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department 
	(1)  what assessment he has undertaken of whether Hizb ut-Tahrir are involved with any illegal  (a) groups and  (b) activities;
	(2)  if he will designate Hizb ut-Tahrir as a proscribed organisation;
	(3)  what information he has on which countries have banned Hizb ut-Tahrir.

Tony McNulty: It is Home Office policy not to comment on groups that are not on the proscribed list.

Muslim Brotherhood

Julian Brazier: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department if he will list  (a) proscribed and  (b) non-proscribed Islamist organisations assessed as having links with the Muslim Brotherhood.

Tony McNulty: The Muslim Brotherhood is not a proscribed organisation.

Human Trafficking

Tim Farron: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what discussions he has had with EU partners on the Council of Europe Convention on Action against Trafficking.

Vernon Coaker: holding answer 4 December 2006
	I have frequent discussions with EU partners on a range of issues including human trafficking and the Council of Europe Convention. Officials have been gathering evidence from our European partners about best practice in member states with regard to the convention, the impact of provision of support for the victims of trafficking and any impact that provisions including recovery and reflection periods have had. In July last year we issued a questionnaire seeking information about the methods of support in place in other European Union countries. The responses to that questionnaire have been analysed and the results will assist in a decision on signature.

Identity Cards

David Davis: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department who is responsible under the Identity Cards Act 2006 for  (a) notifying him of an individual's death and  (b) returning the deceased's identity card; and what the penalty will be for the failure to comply with those requirements.

John Reid: Specific arrangements for dealing with identity cards of deceased persons have yet to be decided. However, we intend to work closely with the General Registrar Offices to ensure that the notification of death and return of the ID card can be done in a sensitive manner, without causing undue distress to the bereaved. For example, GROs' guidance on death registration is likely to include instructions on what to do with passports, ID cards and other documents. Although the Act does not require anyone to report the death of an individual who is registered, the powers under section 9 allow data to be disclosed for the purposes of verifying the information held on the Register. This could also include data collected by the Registrars General on those who have died and thus avoid the need to report a death on two occasions.
	While section 11(3) states that a person who is knowingly in possession of an ID card without the lawful authority of the individual to whom it was issued or the permission of the Secretary of State must surrender the card as soon as it is practicable to do so, this is intended to prevent the misuse of cards and not directed at bereaved relatives of the deceased.

Identity Cards

Mark Francois: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department who will be responsible for imposing fines for the offences created by the Identity Cards Act 2006.

Joan Ryan: Fines relating to the criminal offences set out in sections 25 to 30 of the Identity Cards Act may be imposed by a criminal court in the normal way. With the exception of the offence of providing false information when applying to be entered on the National Identity Register, the criminal sanctions in the Act are not targeted at people registered on the scheme. The Act provides for civil penalties not criminal sanctions in cases such as failing to surrender an invalid ID card.

Identity Cards

David Davis: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department whether purchasers of second homes will be required to register that second address in the National Identity Register.

John Reid: Applicants for identity cards will be asked for information about their current principal address, together with current alternative addresses and previous addresses. Details of which addresses an individual is required to register will be set out nearer to the beginning of the identity cards scheme. Subsection 42(10) of the Identity Cards Act allows the Secretary of State to make regulations to specify in detail exactly what will be regarded as a place where a person resides or as his principal place of residence.
	It is anticipated that recording an alternative address will be of benefit to the individual, enabling him or her to prove legitimate residence at that address.

Intercept Evidence

Lynne Featherstone: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department in how many cases intercept evidence was admitted in court under the Regulation of Investigatory Powers Act 2000 in each year since the entry into force of that Act; and under which sections of the Act it was admitted in each case.

Tony McNulty: The information is not collected centrally.

International GCSE

Nick Gibb: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department whether the Assets Recovery Agency recognises the International GCSE as an acceptable substitute for a GCSE for the purposes of recruitment.

Vernon Coaker: The Assets Recovery Agency recognises the International GCSE for recruitment purposes. The Agency's recruitment policy is that if a role requires specific qualifications, the need for them has to be justified in objective terms. It is made clear to potential applicants that equivalent or similar level alternative qualifications will be considered. The Agency considers that it is important not to exclude candidates with relevant experience from applying for a role.

National Non-emergency Phone Number

Nick Herbert: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what progress is being made in establishing a national non-emergency telephone number.

Tony McNulty: I refer the hon. Member to the letter I sent him on 4 December 2006.

Operation Safeguard

Tom Watson: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what assessment he has made of the contingency plans that are in place to cover police officers who exercise their right not to accept additional jailer duties under Operation Safeguard.

Tony McNulty: holding answer 5 December 2006
	The contingency plans are a matter for chief officers of police.

Police Numbers

George Howarth: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what assessment he has made of the number of police officers that should be in place in each police force area.

Tony McNulty: It is for each police authority to set the budget, and with their chief constable decide on police officer and police staff numbers in their force areas.

Prison Service

Rosie Cooper: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what complaints were received by the director general of the Prison Service about  (a) the director general and  (b) his organisation in October and November 2006.

Gerry Sutcliffe: This information could be provided only at disproportionate cost.

Prison Service

David Laws: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what instructions were given  (a) verbally and  (b) in writing to the director general of the Prison Service by Ministers in October 2002 on control of a riot at Lincoln jail; and if he will make a statement.

Gerry Sutcliffe: There are no written records within the Home Office of discussions between the then Home Secretary and the then director general of the Prison Service about the disturbance at Lincoln prison on 23 October 2002.

Prisons

Nigel Waterson: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what the ethnic make-up is of the prison population.

Gerry Sutcliffe: Information on the ethnic make-up of the prison population can be found in table 2.11 of the Offender Management Caseload Statistics Quarterly Brief for October to December 2005, and can be found at the following website:
	http://www.homeoffice.gov.uk/rds/pdfs06/omcsq405.pdf
	These figures have been drawn from administrative IT systems. Although care is taken when processing and analysing the returns, the detail collected is subject to the inaccuracies inherent in any large-scale recording system, and although shown to the last individual, the figures may not be accurate to that level.

Prisons

Nick Herbert: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department if he will bring forward the security audit of Ford prison scheduled for February 2007 as a matter of urgency.

Gerry Sutcliffe: holding answer 27 November 2006
	There are no plans to bring forward the security audit of Ford prison, which will begin on 5 March 2007.

Prisons

Mike Hancock: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department whether he plans to build more prisons in each of the next five financial years.

Gerry Sutcliffe: The Home Secretary announced in the CJS Review on 20 July 2006 that NOMS will deliver a building programme of 8,000 prison places, including a number of new prisons, by 2012. No decisions have yet been taken on the location or timing of the building of these prisons, but the areas of greatest strategic need are the south-east, the north-west, south Wales and the west midlands.

Prisons

Elfyn Llwyd: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department whether he plans to build additional prisons in the next five financial years.

Gerry Sutcliffe: holding answer 5 December 2006
	The Home Secretary announced in the CJS Review on 20 July 2006 that NOMS will deliver a building programme of 8,000 prison places, including a number of new prisons, by 2012. No decisions have yet been taken on the location or timing of the building of these prisons, but the areas of greatest strategic need are the south-east, the north-west, south Wales and the west midlands.

Probation Service

David Drew: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department if he will publish his Department's research on the merits of contracting-out more of the probation budget.

Gerry Sutcliffe: The advantages of contracting-out more of the probation budget were assessed in the light of efficiencies gained following the contracting-out of areas of activity on the custodial side of the National Offender Management Service. Estimated savings were modelled in the range of 3.5 per cent. to 8.5 per cent., in line with the savings delivered after those earlier contracting-out exercises. No additional research evidence was used to quantify the potential benefits of contracting-out.

Probation Service

Mike Hancock: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many targets his Department has set for the National Probation Service; and whether those targets were met in the latest period for which figures were available.

Gerry Sutcliffe: The National Probation Service has been set a total of 14 performance targets for 2006-07. The targets cover the key objectives of protecting the public and reducing re-offending whilst reflecting the priority given to work with offenders on matters such as accommodation, education, training and employment, health, drugs and alcohol, as well as addressing the needs of victims.
	Details of the performance of the 42 probation areas in England and Wales against the performance targets and measures set for the service are published on a quarterly basis in National Probation Service performance reports. The reports are public documents and are posted on the NPS website:
	at:http://www.probation.homeoffice.gov.uk/output/page34.asp.
	The latest report (22) shows that the National Probation Service had met or exceeded nine of the 13 performance targets for the first six months of 2006-07. Data on the regionally set employment targets for minority ethnic staff will not be available until the new year when the census returns are made. This target has been met in each of the previous years since monitoring began and it is envisaged that it will be met again this year.

Prospect Hostel, Exeter

Neil Gerrard: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what the cost was of running the Prospect Hostel in Exeter in 2005-06; how many residents there were at the hostel at the most recent date for which figures are available; whether the contract for the hostel in Exeter has been terminated early; and whether his Department has a contract with Langley House for the supply of secure beds.

Gerry Sutcliffe: Since it opened in January 2006, Prospect's Exeter project has had 61 referrals and running costs, which include nine months' supported intervention, of £60,000 per month.
	The contract has been terminated and we are currently working towards re-tendering in February/March 2007.
	The National Probation Directorate has had in place a service level agreement (SLA) with Langley House Trust since February 2003. Under the terms of the SLA, places are available across 15 projects, some of which have 24-hour staffing cover, as well as nine enhanced supervision beds.

Road Safety

Alistair Carmichael: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many drivers have been prosecuted for offences contrary to sections  (a) 3 and  (b) 34 of the Road Traffic Act 1988 in each of the last eight years, broken down by police force area.

Tony McNulty: Available information taken from the Court Proceedings Database held by the Office for Criminal Justice Reform covering offences under s.3 of the Road Traffic Act 1988 from 1997 to 2004 (latest available) are given in the following table.
	Offences under s.34 of the Road Traffic Act 1988 cannot be identified separately from other summary motoring offences. Data for 2005 will be available in 2007.
	
		
			  Proceedings at magistrates courts for the offence of driving without due care and attention( 1 ) by police force area, England and Wales, 1997 to 2004 
			  Number of offences 
			  Forces  1997  1998  1999  2000  2001  2002  2003  2004 
			 Avon and Somerset 1,554 1,636 1,569 1,403 1,557 1,555 1,034 1,032 
			 Bedfordshire 415 409 285 374 410 417 337 216 
			 Cambridgeshire 974 889 751 757 623 459 432 360 
			 Cheshire 1,835 1,743 1,426 1,309 1,075 997 977 967 
			 Cleveland 332 280 233 240 229 188 250 231 
			 Cumbria 951 950 988 922 729 571 605 586 
			 Derbyshire 1,057 1,091 1,011 941 629 583 558 550 
			 Devon and Cornwall 834 826 854 864 1,031 1,139 1,038 1,263 
			 Dorset 494 487 424 344 397 419 330 245 
			 Durham 393 399 432 556 436 484 585 525 
			 Essex 2,417 2,712 2,455 2,280 1,906 1,518 1,478 1,365 
			 Gloucestershire 746 562 437 425 644 578 569 541 
			 Greater Manchester 4,198 4,321 4,233 3,299 3,227 3,067 2,707 2,378 
			 Hampshire 2,808 2,218 1,816 1,580 1,506 1,553 1,354 1,368 
			 Hertfordshire 605 660 597 696 695 653 752 699 
			 Humberside 529 638 623 500 564 654 767 572 
			 Kent 835 741 555 585 557 582 674 757 
			 Lancashire 1,504 1,144 1,041 1,118 1,095 1,144 1,074 830 
			 Leicestershire 1,689 1,384 1,489 1,470 1,335 1,029 914 893 
			 Lincolnshire 543 364 332 290 311 310 338 399 
			 London, City of 156 156 157 110 99 91 77 79 
			 Merseyside 2,435 1,804 1,491 1,500 1,247 892 1,099 1,105 
			 Metropolitan Police 12,139 10,893 9,766 7,687 6,839 5,991 5,797 5,757 
			 Norfolk 927 924 957 966 1,288 1,070 866 676 
			 Northamptonshire 481 252 285 226 83 40 226 309 
			 Northumbria 1,027 1,151 1,143 1,220 1,072 902 950 862 
			 North Yorkshire 1,305 1,230 1,358 1,239 814 757 778 833 
			 Nottinghamshire 820 885 816 652 506 416 415 390 
			 South Yorkshire 1,116 874 966 632 759 646 603 681 
			 Staffordshire 2,056 1,826 1,503 1,845 1,308 1,328 1,258 1,171 
			 Suffolk 668 589 519 537 523 600 540 580 
			 Surrey 728 708 865 1,015 875 500 510 227 
			 Sussex 1,547 1,400 1,152 903 781 603 469 217 
			 Thames Valley 2,354 2,067 1,839 1,421 1,577 1,582 1,391 1,298 
			 Warwickshire 706 617 525 597 514 468 531 447 
			 West Mercia 1,257 1,174 978 938 1,080 1,122 1,026 610 
			 West Midlands 3,210 3,552 3,254 3,387 2,985 3,034 2,727 2,682 
			 West Yorkshire 2,716 2,489 1,891 1,710 1,459 1,130 987 941 
			 Wiltshire 665 735 393 426 589 600 597 660 
			 Dyfed Powys 683 519 452 395 361 442 396 362 
			 Gwent 387 480 371 372 308 288 267 214 
			 North Wales 564 491 628 532 536 509 672 801 
			 South Wales 2,159 2,235 1,929 1,708 1,617 1,740 1,837 2,196 
			 Total 64,819 60,505 54,789 49,971 46,176 42,651 40,792 38,875 
			 (1) Offence under the Road Traffic Act 1988 s.3  Notes:  1. Offences contrary to s.34 of the Road Traffic Act 1988 cannot be identified separately from other summary motoring offences.  2. It is known that for some police force areas, the reporting of court proceedings in particular those relating to summary motoring offences, may be less than complete. Work is underway to ensure that the magistrates courts' case management system currently being implemented by the Department for Constitutional Affairs reports all motoring offences to the Office for Criminal Justice Reform. This will enable more complete figures to be disseminated.  3. Every effort is made to ensure that the figures presented are accurate and complete. However, it is important to note that these data have been extracted from large administrative data systems generated by the courts and police forces. As a consequence, care should be taken to ensure data collection processes and their inevitable limitations are taken into account when these data are used.

Sex Offenders Register

Hugh Bayley: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department if he will bring forward measures to change the law to allow people convicted of child abduction to be included on the sex offenders register.

Vernon Coaker: We have undertaken a review of the offences listed in schedules 3 and 5 of the Sexual Offences Act 2003, whereby if someone has been convicted of one of those offences, they may be made subject to the notification requirements (commonly referred to as the "sex offenders register"). As part of the review, we have become aware of concerns that child abduction should be added to the list of relevant offences. We are currently finalising an Order amending the list of offences in schedules 3 and 5 of the 2003 Act, which we will lay as soon as possible.

Statements: Disabled People

Paul Holmes: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many police forces have facilities in place to take statements from  (a) partially sighted,  (b) blind and  (c) deaf people.

Tony McNulty: The Home Office does not maintain information on such facilities, which are a matter for the force concerned.

Victims of Crime: Compensation

John Hayes: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how much compensation has been awarded in 2006 to victims of crimes committed by foreign nationals released but not  (a) deported and  (b) assessed for deportation; and how many cases are pending.

Gerry Sutcliffe: The information sought is neither collected nor recorded centrally.

Young Offenders

Jennifer Willott: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many juvenile offenders from each local authority area in Wales are held in secure accommodation in  (a) Ashfield,  (b) Barton Moss Secure Unit,  (c) Brindford,  (d) Carlford Unit at Warren Hill,  (e) Dyson Hall,  (f) Eastwood Park,  (g) Feltham,  (h) Hassockfield Secure Training Centre,  (i) Hindley,  (j) Huntercombe,  (k) Lancaster Farms,  (l) Medway and  (m) Oakhill Secure Training Centre; and if he will make a statement.

Gerry Sutcliffe: The following tables give the information requested as at 24 November 2006. The data were provided by the Youth Justice Board.
	
		
			  Young people from Wales held in secure establishments/young offender institutions broken down by youth offending team and establishment name 
			   Bridgend  Caerphilly and Blaenau Gwent  Cardiff  Carmarthenshire  Ceredigion  Conwy and Denbighshire 
			 Ashfield 5 8 19 3 — — 
			 Barton Moss Secure Unit — — — — — — 
			 Brinsford 1 — — — — — 
			 Carlford Unit (Warren Hill) — — — — — — 
			 Dyson Hall — — — — — 1 
			 Eastwood Park — — 1 — — — 
			 Feltham — — 1 — — — 
			 Hassockfield STC — — — — — 1 
			 Hindley — — — — — 2 
			 Huntercombe — — — — — — 
			 Lancaster Farms — — — — — — 
			 Medway — — 1 — — — 
			 Oakhill STC — 1 1 — — — 
		
	
	
		
			   Flintshire  Gwynedd and Ynys Mon  Merthyr Tydfil  Monmouthshire and Torfaen  Neath Port Talbot  Newport 
			 Ashfield — — 6 3 3 13 
			 Barton Moss Secure Unit — 1 — — — — 
			 Brinsford 1 2 — — — — 
			 Carlford Unit (Warren Hill) — — — — — — 
			 Dyson Hall — — — — — — 
			 Eastwood Park — — — — — — 
			 Feltham — — — — — — 
			 Hassockfield STC — — — — — — 
			 Hindley — 1 — — — — 
			 Huntercombe — — — — — — 
			 Lancaster Farms 1 2 — — — — 
			 Medway — — — — — — 
			 Oakhill STC — 1 — — — — 
		
	
	
		
			   Pembrokeshire  Powys  Rhondda Cynon Taff  Swansea  Vale of Glamorgan  Wrexham 
			 Ashfield 4 — 9 8 — 1 
			 Barton Moss Secure Unit — — — — — — 
			 Brinsford — — — — 1 — 
			 Carlford Unit (Warren Hill) — — — 1 — — 
			 Dyson Hall — — — — — — 
			 Eastwood Park — — — 1 1 — 
			 Feltham — — — 1 — — 
			 Hassockfield STC — — — — — 1 
			 Hindley — 1 — — — 1 
			 Huntercombe — — — 1 — — 
			 Lancaster Farms — — — — — — 
			 Medway — — — — — — 
			 Oakhill STC — — — — — —

CONSTITUTIONAL AFFAIRS

Census

Mike Hancock: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Constitutional Affairs what recent discussions her Department has held with the Information Commissioner on the 100-year Census rule; and if she will make a statement.

Bridget Prentice: This Department has had no discussions with the Information Commissioner on the 100-year closure policy. Census policy is the responsibility of the Office for National Statistics.
	Officials from my Department and the National Archives have met with the Information Commissioner to discuss requests to release parts of the 1911 census.

Departmental Staff

Danny Alexander: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Constitutional Affairs how many and what percentage of staff employed in her Department were registered disabled in each year since 2001.

Vera Baird: Data on the disabled status of civil servants, for the years requested, are available on the civil service website. The latest available data are as at April 2005(1) and these, together with previous years' data, can be found at the following website addresses:
	http://www.civilservice.gov.uk/management/statistics/publications/xls/report_2005/table_p.xls
	for data as at April 2005,
	http://www.civilservice.gov.uk/management/statistics/publications/xls/disability_apr04_4nov04.xls
	for data as at April 2004, and
	http://www.civilservice.gov.uk/management/statistics/archive/index.asp
	for previous reporting periods.
	Declaration of a disability is voluntary and statistics are based on the number of respondents to a confidential questionnaire, which all staff are asked to complete, and not total staff.
	(1) Staff from the former 42 Magistrates Courts Areas joined DCA 1 April 2005 with variable terms and conditions and management information. An exercise is under way to collate this information and create a single HR database for the DCA.

Departmental Staff

Rosie Cooper: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Constitutional Affairs 
	(1)  which officials were involved in the monitoring process of alternative dispute resolution in her Department in each year since 2001; and what the  (a) grades and  (b) qualifications were of those officials;
	(2)  what monitoring of her Department's dispute resolution strategy has taken place;
	(3)  what monitoring of her Department's dispute resolution strategy has taken place.

Bridget Prentice: Since 2000, our strategy for the promotion of alternative dispute resolution (ADR) has been monitored through our PSA targets to reduce the proportion of disputes that are resolved by resort to the civil courts. Since 2001, the three Senior Civil Service Directors in charge of civil justice policy have been responsible for the monitoring and reporting of these targets over the three Spending Review periods.
	The PSA targets are regularly monitored and reported to HM Treasury as part of the annual Departmental Reports and Autumn reports which are published on the DCA website.

Departmental Staff

Rosie Cooper: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Constitutional Affairs what steps have been taken to improve flexibility in reaching agreement on financial compensation under alternative dispute resolution; and whether independent assessment of settlement proposals has been undertaken.

Bridget Prentice: The Department encourages the use of alternative dispute resolution (ADR) precisely because it is able to deliver more flexible agreements than would be possible via a court hearing. Much of the Department's ADR strategy has been built around the promotion of mediation, where the terms of the settlements are agreed by the parties themselves. Since such agreements are confidential, it is not possible to conduct any detailed assessment of the terms of those agreements. However, all mediators provided through court mediation schemes are required to comply with certain quality standards, since all such providers must be accredited by the Civil Mediation Council, which prescribes standards of conduct, training and continuing professional development.

Departmental Studies

John Hayes: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Constitutional Affairs which studies have been commissioned by her Department from  (a) external agencies,  (b) companies,  (c) academics and  (d) individuals in 2006.

Bridget Prentice: As my Department does not retain a central list of studies that it has commissioned externally during 2006, this answer could be provided only at disproportionate cost.

Freedom of Information

Mike Hancock: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Constitutional Affairs how many applications were made to the National Archives for Freedom of Information Act disclosures of extracts from the 1911 census for specific addresses in England or Wales in each month between January 2005 and November 2006; and when the National Archives began to include in refusal notices particulars of the complainant's right to appeal to the Information Commissioner.

Bridget Prentice: The following table details the number of requests under Freedom of Information relating to information from extracts from 1911 census returns from specific addresses.
	
		
			  1911 FOI requests 
			   Number 
			  2005  
			 January 0 
			 February 3 
			 March 11 
			 April 7 
			 May 9 
			 June 11 
			 July 32 
			 August 33 
			 September 19 
			 October 15 
			 November 1 
			 December 7 
			 Total 2005 148 
			   
			  2006  
			 January 23 
			 February 16 
			 March 7 
			 April 11 
			 May 5 
			 June 1 
			 July 5 
			 August 7 
			 September 15 
			 October 16 
			 November 3 
			 December — 
			 Total 2006 109 
		
	
	The National Archives have included particulars of the complainant's right to appeal to the Information Commissioner in refusal notices since January 2005.

Freedom of Information

Mike Hancock: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Constitutional Affairs what recent assessment she has made of the  (a) benefit to the public and  (b) effectiveness of section 50 decision notices; and if she will make a statement.

Bridget Prentice: The Information Commissioner, under the Freedom of Information Act 2000, section 50, must inform a complainant that he has not made any decision as a result of a complaint, or he must issue a notice stating his decision and the steps which must be followed to comply with it to the complainant and the public authority. The Commissioner is independent in his decision making. Under section 54 of the Act, if a public authority fails to comply with a decision notice, the Commissioner may certify this fact to the court. The court may inquire into the matter and deal with the authority as if it had committed a contempt of court. The Commissioner has not yet had cause to use this power. In addition, under section 57 the complainant or the public authority may appeal to the Information Tribunal against a decision notice.

Procurement Projects

John Hayes: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Constitutional Affairs what the 20 largest procurement project's initiated by her Department since May 1997 have been; what the  (a) original budget,  (b) cost to date and  (c) consultancy fees have been; and what the final cost was of each project which has been completed.

Bridget Prentice: Individual project managers, in my Department, are responsible for keeping detailed records on a project's budgeted and actual expenditure including that on consultancy. This information is not held centrally, and the collection and analysis of it could be obtained only at disproportionate cost.

Recruitment Advertising

Charles Hendry: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Constitutional Affairs how much her Department spent on recruitment advertising in each of the last three years.

Bridget Prentice: My Department does not hold this information centrally and it is, therefore, not possible to collate this without incurring disproportionate cost.
	The Department ensures that job vacancies are advertised in a wide range of publications, including those targeted at minority communities. Details of vacancies are placed on the civil service Recruitment website, which was launched in December 2002 as the site of first choice for central government recruitment. There is no advertising cost associated with this facility.
	As a part of the civil service Reform agenda, at senior levels, applications from outside the civil service and from all sections of the community are encouraged. External recruitment support may be used to facilitate this.

Renewable Energy

Charles Hendry: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Constitutional Affairs how much energy consumed by her Department is acquired from renewable sources.

Bridget Prentice: On 12 June the Prime Minister and my right hon. Friend the Secretary of State for Environment and Rural Affairs announced new sustainable operations targets for the Government Estate. Government Departments are mandated within the new targets to source at least 10 per cent. of electricity from renewables (such as wind, wave, tidal, solar, thermal and photovoltaics (PVs)) by March 2008. This target is a continuation of an existing operations target, originally set in 2003.
	During 2005-06, 13 per cent. of the energy consumed was from renewable sources. This figure is in excess of the target outlined in The Framework for Sustainable Development on the Government Estate, and is set to rise during the forthcoming year.

FOREIGN AND COMMONWEALTH AFFAIRS

Afghanistan

William Hague: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what estimate she has made of the number of schools which closed in Afghanistan as a result of violence or intimidation in each year since January 2002.

Margaret Beckett: I refer the right hon. Member to the reply my right hon. Friend the Secretary of State for International Development gave to him and the hon. Member for The Wrekin, (Mark Pritchard) on 21 November 2006 , Official Report, column 23W.

Afghanistan

William Hague: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what estimate she has made of the number of Afghan  (a) teachers,  (b) students and  (c) schools officials killed in Afghanistan in each year since January 2002.

Margaret Beckett: Figures published by the United Nations Children's Fund (UNICEF) in October this year detail the number of fatal attacks against the school community in Afghanistan in 2005 and 2006. These figures do not distinguish between teachers, students and schools officials. In 2005 UNICEF records that there were five fatal attacks against the school community across Afghanistan. In October this year the figure for 2006 stood at six, with an additional 35 injured. We do not hold figures for previous years.

Afghanistan

William Hague: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what steps are being taken by international agencies in Afghanistan to counter violence and intimidation against those in the education system; and what role the UK is playing.

Margaret Beckett: The United Nations Children's Fund (UNICEF) is the leading international agency working with the Afghan Government to tackle the serious issue of violence and intimidation against schools and the school community across Afghanistan. Working closely with UNICEF, the Afghan Government are actively countering violence and intimidation against those in the education system and co-ordinating efforts to restore normal functioning of schools. A special commission on schools protection under the chairmanship of the Minister of Education has been formed to address threats to schools, students and teachers.
	A comprehensive strategy to address these issues has been formulated by the Ministry of Education with support from UNICEF and partner agencies. Key elements of the strategy include: collection of regular and accurate information on security-related incidents; appointment of 34 Provincial Protection Advisors to the Governor's office to review issues relevant to school protection and decisions on mitigating actions to be taken; and placement of Mobile Protection Teams, comprising of 85 protection officers in all 34 provinces proportionate to the number of schools and size of province, to collate information on school protection issues for consideration by Provincial Protection Advisors on a regular basis.
	The United Kingdom, as part of the NATO-led International Security Assistance Force, is engaged in improving the security situation in the country as a whole, providing the secure space for the Afghan Government to revive and rehabilitate Afghanistan's education system.

Afghanistan

William Hague: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs how many attacks against schools by anti-Government elements in Afghanistan there were in each year since January 2002.

Margaret Beckett: Figures published by the United Nations Children's Fund (UNICEF) in October this year detail the number of acts of violence and intimidation against schools and the school community in 2005 and 2006. In 2005 there were 272 incidents of violence or intimidation against schools across Afghanistan. In October this year the figure for 2006 stood at 117. We do not hold figures for previous years.

Afghanistan

William Hague: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what her most recent estimate is of the number of Taliban attacks on the education system in Afghanistan.

Margaret Beckett: Figures published by the United Nations Children's Fund (UNICEF) in October this year detail the number of acts of violence and intimidation against schools and the school community in 2005 and 2006 by anti-Government groups. In 2005 there were 272 incidents of violence or intimidation against schools across Afghanistan. Of these, 238 were threats and 34 physical attacks. In October this year the figure for 2006 stood at 117, of which 37 were threats and 80 physical attacks. The figures do not attribute incidents to particular insurgent groups.

Bolivian Land Reform Bill

Geoffrey Clifton-Brown: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what assessment she has made of the effect of the Bolivian Land Reform Bill on British investments in that country; what representations she is making to the Bolivian Government on honouring contractual obligations with British companies; and what representations she has received from British companies with interests in Bolivia.

Kim Howells: We follow events closely in Bolivia through our embassy in La Paz and with our EU partners, including developments in the Land Reform Bill and the hydrocarbons nationalisation process. It is too early to assess the effects of the Land Reform Bill, but we do not expect it to have a considerable impact on British investments. We have underlined to the Bolivian Government the need to adhere to contractual obligations with British companies and to the terms of the UK/Bolivia Investment Promotion and Protection Agreement. It is important for Bolivia's long-term development that foreign investors are able to operate in a viable and equitable framework. We are in regular touch with British companies operating in Bolivia. Where necessary we will continue to make representations to the Bolivian Government, both bilaterally and through the EU, to emphasise the importance of long-term investment security.

Cluster Munitions

John Bercow: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what discussions she has had at the United Nations on cluster munitions.

Kim Howells: None. However, at the recent Review Conference of the Convention on Certain Conventional Weapons (CCW) officials from the Foreign and Commonwealth Office and Ministry of Defence helped secure agreement among all CCW states, including the major users and producers, for experts urgently to address the humanitarian impact of cluster munitions. I made a written ministerial statement on this issue on 4 December 2006,  Official Report, columns 1-2WS, explaining our policy in detail.

Cluster Munitions

John Bercow: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if the Government will support steps being taken in international forums on restricting the use of cluster munitions.

Kim Howells: We fully recognise the humanitarian concerns about the use of cluster munitions. That is why we led efforts to secure agreement at the recent Review Conference on the Convention on Certain Conventional Weapons (CCW) for experts urgently to address their humanitarian impact. This is an essential preliminary step towards any future negotiations for a new legally binding instrument, and is consistent with the call by UN Secretary-General, Kofi Annan, to use the existing (CCW) framework. As this inclusive approach involves all the major users and producers, we believe that it offers the best way forward to reduce the humanitarian impact of cluster munitions. I made a written ministerial statement on this issue on 4 December 2006,  Official Report, columns 1-2WS, explaining our policy in detail.

Cyprus

Ben Chapman: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if she will make a statement on the implementation of the Annan plan for Cyprus.

Geoff Hoon: In 2004, the UN plan for a comprehensive settlement of the Cyprus problem was approved by the Turkish Cypriots, but rejected by the Greek Cypriots. Since then, the UK has supported the UN's efforts to restart settlement negotiations. In particular, the UK welcomes the agreement of the two leaders to the proposals put forward by the UN Under-Secretary- General for Political Affairs, Ibrahim Gambari, on 15 November. These are designed to lead to a resumption of comprehensive negotiations. With other members of the P5, we have urged both sides to now show the flexibility and political courage required to bridge the gap between words and deeds. The UK will continue to offer all support as necessary in the coming months.

Cyprus

Ben Chapman: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what representations she has received regarding recognition for Turkish Northern Cyprus.

Geoff Hoon: The Government maintain our long-standing policy of non-recognition of the self-declared "Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus" and have not received representations in this regard. However, we maintain an open and constructive dialogue with the leadership of the Turkish Cypriots on all aspects of the situation in Cyprus. We continue to support measures to lift the isolation of the Turkish Cypriot community in line with the commitment made by EU Foreign Ministers in 2004. In this context, we welcome the agreement and implementation of a package of EU financial aid worth €259 million. However, we recognise that more needs to be done, particularly in relation to direct trade between the Turkish Cypriots and the EU. Progress in this area will help bring the Turkish Cypriots closer to the EU and, by reducing economic disparities between Turkish and Greek Cypriots, will make a future settlement easier to achieve.

Departmental Statistics

Theresa Villiers: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs how much her Department spent on statistics relating to the work of her Department in each of the last five years.

Margaret Beckett: This information is not held centrally by the Foreign and Commonwealth Office and could be obtained only at disproportionate cost.

Departmental Studies

John Hayes: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs which studies have been commissioned by her Department from  (a) external agencies,  (b) companies,  (c) academics and  (d) individuals in 2006.

Margaret Beckett: This information is not held centrally by the Foreign and Commonwealth Office and could only be obtained at disproportionate cost.

Devolved Administrations

Stewart Hosie: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs how many times the devolved Administrations have been represented  (a) at EU Council of Ministers' meetings and  (b) in preparatory meetings of the Committee of Permanent Representatives in (i) 2006 and (ii) the last five years.

Geoff Hoon: The following table details the number of ministerial attendance from the devolved Administrations at EU council meetings between 2006 and 2001:
	
		
			   Scottish Executive  Welsh Assembly Government  Northern Ireland Executive 
			 2006 5 0 0 
			 2005 14 0 0 
			 2004 11 1 0 
			 2003 13 7 0 
			 2002 10 3 1 
			 2001 12 1 2 
		
	
	No members of the devolved Administrations are represented at the Committee of Permanent Representatives. Only staff from the member states' permanent representation, the Commission and Council Secretariat attend.

Jayantilal Keshavji Chande

Norman Lamb: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs for what reasons Jayantilal Keshavji Chande was awarded a knighthood in 2003; which Government department nominated Jayantilal Keshavji Chande for a knighthood; and if she will place in the Library a copy of the citation drawn up for Jayantilal Keshavji Chande when he was awarded his knighthood.

Margaret Beckett: Jayantilal Keshavji Chande was awarded an honorary British knighthood (KBE) in 2003 for his services to British interests in Tanzania and East Africa. He was nominated for an award by a member of the public. There is no citation drawn up at the time honorary awards are made.

Kashmir

Margaret Moran: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what reports she has received on the influence of militant groups in  (a) Azad Kashmir and  (b) Indian-held Kashmir during and since the earthquake; and if she will make a statement.

Kim Howells: The UK welcomes the efforts by the Pakistani government to prevent infiltration across the Line of Control into Indian-administered Kashmir. However, it is clear from media reporting that, despite these efforts, militant groups continue to operate in both Pakistani and Indian-administered Kashmir.

Kosovo

William Hague: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what recent discussions she has had with her Contact Group counterparts on the final status of Kosovo; and if she will make a statement .

Margaret Beckett: I have had numerous and varied discussions with Contact Group counterparts on the final status of Kosovo. Contact Group Ministers last met together at the United Nations General Assembly in September. The UK was represented by my right hon. Friend the Minister for Europe. The Government remain in close touch with other members of the Contact Group during the Kosovo final status process at both official and ministerial level.

Middle East

Michael Moore: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what assessment she has made of the Middle East peace initiative launched by France, Spain and Italy; and if she will make a statement.

Margaret Beckett: I refer the hon. Member to the answer my hon. Friend the Minister for the Middle East, my hon. Friend the Member for Pontypridd (Dr. Howells) gave to my hon. Friend the Memberfor Birmingham, Northfield (Richard Burden) on28 November 2006,  Official Report, columns 611-12W.

Middle East

Andrew Smith: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what reports she has received on the ceasefire in the Gaza Strip; what action the Government are taking to promote active engagement by all parties in the peace process; and if she will make a statement.

Kim Howells: We welcome the ceasefire between Israel and the Palestinians and hope it paves the way for further dialogue and a return to negotiations. We remain concerned at the firing of Qassam rockets from Gaza into Israel but welcome President Abbas's call for the firing of these rockets to stop. We must make progress towards a comprehensive peace and two-state solution, and an end to the cycle of violence. This remains at the core of peace and stability in the Middle East.
	We continue to work with both parties as well as our international partners to move the peace process forward. All sides need to use this opportunity to take measures to restore confidence and return to the road map. My right hon. Friend the Prime Minister has made progress in the Middle East one of his top priorities. He has consistently made it clear that moving towards a two-state solution for Israel and the Palestinians, as set out in the road map, is the central plank for achieving peace.
	I refer my right hon. Friend to the answer I gave to my hon. Friend the Member for Coventry South (Mr. Cunningham) on 5 December 2006,  Official Report, columns 152-54.

Middle East

Andrew Smith: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what recent representations she has made to the European Union on the Israel-Palestine peace process.

Kim Howells: We continue to discuss the peace process with our EU partners. We last discussed this with them on 13/14 November at the General Affairs and External Relations Council. EU Foreign Ministers will next discuss the peace process in Brussels at the General Affairs and External Relations Council on 11 December.

Middle East

Andrew Smith: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what recent representations she has made to Israel on the detention of Hamas parliamentarians.

Kim Howells: We have made no recent representations to the Government of Israel on behalf of the detained Palestinian Government and Legislative Council Members. We support the call in the 13/14 November EU General Affairs and External Relations Council Conclusions for the immediate release of Palestinian Ministers and legislators detained in Israel, a fact that I have repeated on a number of occasions in the House of Commons.

Middle East

Philip Hollobone: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what steps are being taken in Lebanon under UN Resolution 1701  (a) to disarm Hezbollah and  (b) to release the Israeli soldiers held hostage.

Kim Howells: Disarmament of Hezbollah is likely only as part of a political process. Talks amongst Lebanese parties began but have broken down. The parties differ on how to form a representative Government that can exercise sole authority. We continue to urge resumption of this dialogue.
	The United Nations is negotiating with the parties on several issues including release of captured Israeli soldiers. We hope to see progress soon.

Official Cars

Lindsay Hoyle: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs how many cars run  (a) by her Department and  (b) by each UK embassy were manufactured (i) in the UK and (ii) abroad.

Geoff Hoon: The Foreign and Commonwealth Office (FCO) in the UK operates 21 cars. These are utilised by FCO Services staff in both the Hanslope Park Fleet Operations area and by London Car Service/London External Messengers operating from King Charles street. Details are as follows:
	Seven Fords manufactured in Portugal;
	two Rovers manufactured in the UK; and
	12 Vauxhalls manufactured in Germany and Spain.
	Since the acquisition of vehicles in the Overseas Fleet is the responsibility of the individual Posts, and detailed records are not held centrally, it would incur disproportionate cost to collate information requested for cars in every UK Mission overseas. We are, however, aware of 381 Land Rovers operated by FCO Posts overseas. All of these vehicles were manufactured in the UK.

Pakistan

Andrew MacKinlay: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what steps were taken by the UK High Commission in Pakistan to facilitate the Prime Minister of Jannu and Kashmir's inclusion amongst those officially invited to join HRH Prince of Wales during his tour of Pattika; and if she will make a statement.

Margaret Beckett: holding answer of 5 December 2006
	His Royal Highness the Prince of Wales visited Pakistan as a guest of the Government of Pakistan. The visit to Pattika was facilitated by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs in Islamabad, the Earthquake Relief and Reconstruction Authority of Pakistan, and the International Committee of the Red Cross. All arrangements with the local authorities were made by them. Pattika is one of the areas that had suffered particularly badly in last year's earthquake.

Pakistan

Andrew MacKinlay: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what advance risk assessment was made by the UK High Commission in Pakistan of the  (a) route and  (b) transport mode of the official press party travelling to Pattika during the visit by HRH the Prince of Wales; and whether the UK High Commission hired the vehicles used to convey the press.

Margaret Beckett: holding answer 5 December 2006
	The road to Pattika—the only practicable overland route—had been reconnoitred on two occasions by British High Commission officials in advance of His Royal Highness the Prince of Wales's visit, and approved. Due to the large number of accompanying press, our High Commission in Islamabad hired additional vehicles and drivers from a local company to convey the party to Pattika. The High Commission had also explored the option of chartering a helicopter to transport the press party. However, the press party rejected this before arriving in Pakistan in preference for the overland route on grounds of cost; the press party reimbursed the High Commission the full cost of hiring these additional vehicles. They were accompanied throughout by British High Commission officials.

Pakistan

Andrew MacKinlay: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what representations were made in advance of the visit of HRH Prince of Wales by the UK High Commission in Pakistan to the Pakistan authorities on the conveying of press accreditation passes by police officers to Pattika; and if she will make a statement.

Margaret Beckett: holding answer of 5 December 2006
	No representations were made to the Pakistan authorities in advance of the visit of His Royal Highness the Prince of Wales by our High Commission in Islamabad on the conveying of press accreditation passes by police officers to Pattika. The travelling UK press party accompanying the visit were already in possession of their press accreditation. Security arrangements made for members of the local press were a matter for the Pakistani authorities.

Public Appointments

Charles Hendry: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs which public appointments have been made by her Department to former Ministers who have served in the Government since May 1997.

Geoff Hoon: The right hon. Paul Boateng was appointed British High Commissioner to South Africa in May 2005.
	The right hon. Helen Liddell was appointed British High Commissioner to Australia in July 2005.
	My noble Friend Baroness Symons of Vernham Dean was appointed as my right hon. Friend the Prime Minister's Special Representative on deportation from the UK, from 1 October to 31 December 2005.

Tonga

Mark Pritchard: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what assistance her Department offered to UK citizens in Tonga during the recent civil unrest.

Ian McCartney: The New Zealand High Commission in Nukualofa, with whom we have a consular assistance agreement, assisted in the departure of two British Nationals from Tonga during the recent unrest.

UN Peacekeepers: Criminal Justice

Geoffrey Clifton-Brown: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what representations she is making on bringing United Nations peacekeepers accused of rape or exploitation while on UN service to justice in their home nation; and what reports she has received on the bringing to justice of people accused of such acts in  (a) Haiti and  (b) Liberia.

Kim Howells: The UK continues to support the actions of the UN Secretary-General to implement a "zero-tolerance" approach to sexual exploitation and abuse in all UN missions. The UN is now focusing on five key areas to ensure that peacekeepers who commit crimes are brought to justice and to prevent further abuse:
	a model Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) between the UN and countries whose troops are participating in peacekeeping operations, ensuring that those countries are fully aware of and can be held to account for their responsibilities in this area;
	establishment of full-time conduct and discipline teams in all UN missions, as well as at the UN Headquarters in New York, dedicated to addressing cases of misconduct, providing advice to missions, ensuring coherent application of UN procedures and providing guidance and advice for peacekeeping personnel;
	ensuring that managers and commanders are made responsible for creating and maintaining an environment that prevents misconduct, are clearly directed to facilitate investigations and are held accountable for their failures in this regard;
	a group of legal experts nominated by the UN Department of Peacekeeping Operations to ensure that individuals are held accountable for criminal offences they have committed, and that there is no impunity for any category of staff, whether civilian or military; and
	a framework for collaboration in investigations between the UN's Office of Internal Oversight and national authorities, to ensure that any evidence collected is admissible in the relevant national jurisdiction of the country of the offender.
	The UK is working closely with the EU and other partners to ensure that work is concluded successfully in all these areas. Our permanent representative to the UN participated in a high-level conference on eliminating sexual exploitation and abuse by UN and non-governmental organisation personnel, organised by the Department for Peacekeeping Operations in New York on 4 December 2006.
	We will also be working in the special session of the UN General Assembly's Committee on Peacekeeping Operations later this month to ensure that progress is made towards agreeing the model MOU between the UN and troop-contributing countries.
	On the recent allegations of sexual exploitation and abuse in Liberia and Haiti, the Assistant Secretary-General for Peacekeeping Operations, Jane Holl Lute, stated on 4 December that
	"all credible allegations would be investigated. A peacekeeper found to have committed such acts, at a minimum, would be repatriated, and there would be follow-up with the country regarding disposition of the case".
	We will be monitoring the progress of UN follow-up to these allegations closely.
	In Liberia, the Government, together with national and international partners, launched a campaign on 4 December to combat sexual exploitation and abuse.

HEALTH

Audiology Services

Andrew Stunell: To ask the Secretary of State for Health when she expects to publish the action plan to reduce waiting times for audiology services referred to in Tackling Hospital Waiting: The 18 Week Patient Pathway; and if she will make a statement.

Ivan Lewis: Our intention is to publish the action plan early in 2007.
	There are currently long waits for audiology services across the country. A working group is looking at a range of solutions to these waits that could be included in the action plan. A key element of the plan will be the procurement of 300,000 additional pathways from the independent sector.

Avian Influenza

Sandra Gidley: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what recent assessment she has made of the risk of a new strain of the H5N1 avian influenza virus causing a pandemic of human influenza.

Rosie Winterton: Our assessment of the risk of a pandemic emerging is based on advice from the World Health Organization (WHO).
	The WHO pandemic alert level remains at pre-pandemic alert phase three, which pertains to there being very limited human to human transmission. Although there have been no major changes in the behaviour of H5N1 viruses in humans or animals since they emerged a decade ago, it is possible that they could change. This could lead to more efficient transmission among humans.
	The WHO continues to monitor the situation carefully.

Bonus Payments

Keith Vaz: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how much was paid in bonuses to civil servants in her Department in each financial year of the last five years; how many civil servants received bonuses each year; and what criteria must a civil servant in her Department fulfil (i) to be considered for a bonus on top of their regular salary and (ii) to be awarded a bonus.

Ivan Lewis: The number of staff who received bonus payments in 2004-05 and 2005-06 and the total amount of bonus paid is set out in the following table.
	
		
			   Number  Amount (£) 
			 2004-05 679 1,064,464.72 
			 2005-06 581 1,252,140.97 
		
	
	The Department changed payroll provider contracts in 2003-04 and the cost of retrieving bonus information between 2001-02 and 2003-04 would be disproportionate.
	For senior civil servants, the Department's published senior pay strategy outlines the requirement for bonuses to be awarded for delivery of personal objectives or other short-term personal contributions to wider organisational objectives. Individuals are required to agree their priorities with their manager at the beginning of the performance year. Line managers then make recommendations for performance bonuses which are subsequently considered by the Department's pay committees at the end of the performance year. The pay committee, which meets annually, will make a final decision on whether the bonus should be awarded, relative to the performance of others.
	For staff within the integrated structure, the Department operates a Special Bonus scheme whereby managers may award a bonus to recognise an outstanding contribution in a particularly demanding situation. A temporary and substantial increase in job loading, dealing with pressures arising from temporary vacancies or job requirements, a high level of commitment and resolution to get a job done, difficulties requiring a special effort to overcome, or a contribution over and above what would normally be expected for the job and of the person, or team, concerned.

Breast Treatment

John Baron: To ask the Secretary of State for Health further to her answer of 30 November 2006,  Official Report, column 911W, on breast treatment, whether her Department remains committed to a target for all people with breast problems to be seen by a specialist within two weeks.

Caroline Flint: The Government set out their commitment to go further on cancer waits in their 2005 election manifesto.
	Proposals for going further on cancer waits, including seeing all patients with breast symptoms within two weeks, will be taken forward as part of the cancer reform strategy being developed by the national cancer director.

Cancelled Operations

Edward Vaizey: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many patients in  (a) Oxfordshire and  (b) Wantage constituency have had operations cancelled at short notice in the last 12 months.

Andy Burnham: The Department does not collect the number of operations cancelled at short notice. The Department collects the number of operations cancelled at the last minute for non-clinical reasons. A last minute cancellation is a cancellation on the day patients were due to arrive, after the patient has arrived in hospital or on the day of their operation. The information is set out in the table.
	
		
			  Cancelled operations for non-clinical reasons, quarter three 2005-06 to quarter two 2006-07 
			  Organisation  Number of last minute cancellations for non clinical reasons 
			 Nuffield Orthopaedic Centre national health service trust 97 
			 Oxford Radcliffe hospitals NHS trust 940 
			  Source:  Department of Health, QMCO

Cardiovascular Risk Factors

Andrew Murrison: To ask the Secretary of State for Health when she expects the National Screening Committee's 2006 recommendations for cardiovascular risk factor screening to be implemented.

Rosie Winterton: The National Screening Committee has recommended that screening certain subgroups of the population for type 2 diabetes is feasible, but that it should be part of a broader programme to detect and manage vascular risk factors.
	Strategic health authorities' local delivery plans include information on the development of at risk registers for coronary heart disease. These have focused up to now on those with a 30 per cent. 10-year risk of developing coronary heart disease, but for 2007-08 this will be amended to the new definition of a 20 per cent. 10-year risk of cardiovascular disease (CVD). This is consistent with the National Institute of Health and Clinical Excellence (NICE) technology appraisal of statins, published in January 2006, which found that this was a clinically and cost-effective threshold for intervening with statins for the primary prevention of CVD.
	NICE is currently working on guidance on lipid management, due out next year. That guidance will also address the issue of risk assessment for CVD in the United Kingdom population.

Care of the Elderly

Daniel Kawczynski: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many complaints were made to NHS institutions about care of the elderly while receiving treatment in 2005-06.

Ivan Lewis: Between 1 April 2005 to 31 March 2006, 1,511 written complaints were received about elderly (geriatric) services in hospital and community health services.
	This type of information is not held for primary care services.

Carers

Sarah McCarthy-Fry: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what assessment the Department has made of the effect on carers of the recent National Institute for Health and Clinical Excellence decision on Alzheimer's drugs.

Ivan Lewis: The National Institute for Health and Clinical Excellence's appraisal of drugs for Alzheimer's disease included an assessment of the impact of benefits accruing to carers from the use of these drugs. The Department has made no separate assessment.

Carisoprodol

Edward Davey: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many NHS patients were prescribed Carisoprodol in each year since 2000.

Andy Burnham: Information is not available in the form requested. The Department does not hold data on the number of people who are prescribed medication. However we hold data on the number of prescription items for Carisoprodol dispensed in the community, in England, and the net ingredient cost (NIC):
	
		
			   Items (Thousand)  NIC (£000) 
			 2000 4.1 26.8 
			 2001 4.3 28.0 
			 2002 4.7 30.0 
			 2003 4.9 31.6 
			 2004 5.3 34.0 
			 2005 5.0 30.6 
		
	
	Data is taken from the prescription cost analysis system.

Cholesterol

Andrew Murrison: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what plans she has to amend national cholesterol targets to reflect the JBS2 guidelines.

Rosie Winterton: The Department's policy on cholesterol targets is set out in the national service framework for coronary heart disease, and reflected in key drivers of practice such as the quality and outcomes framework of the general medical service contract.
	The JBS2 guidelines are welcomed as a contribution to policy development but they do not update our policy. The principal mechanism for this is the National Institute of Health and Clinical Excellence (NICE). NICE is currently working on guidance on lipid management, due out next year. That guidance will set out any revisions to current policy on targets for controlling cholesterol.

Cognitive Behavioural Therapy

Ian Taylor: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what steps her Department is taking to extend access to cognitive behavioural therapy across England; and whether one of the planned regional projects will take place in Surrey.

Rosie Winterton: The Government support better mental health services through our improving access to psychological therapies (IAPT) programme, which began in May. This policy was also set out in our 2005 manifesto and in the "Our Health, Our Care, Our Say" White Paper. We are looking to develop a service model for delivering a range of evidence-based interventions, with the focus being on cognitive behavioural therapy (CBT) because this has the broadest evidence base.
	The National Institute for Health and Clinical Excellence (NICE) published guidelines on the treatment of depression and anxiety in December 2004. NICE gave emphatic support to making evidence-based psychological therapies, including CBT, available as an adjunct or alternative to drug treatments for the treatment of mild to moderate depression, anxiety and schizophrenia.
	Initially, IAPT consists of two national demonstration sites in Newham and Doncaster and a national programme of local projects in each of the National Institute for Mental Health in England's eight regional development centres (RDCs). We aim to work with the RDCs in preparing other areas around England to begin a phased roll-out of service models. It is envisaged that between 10 to 20 new services will roll-out in the first wave, on a region-by-region basis, with sites chosen by the strategic health authorities in discussion with their primary care trusts (PCTs) in due course.
	We expect IAPT to provide robust evidence in favour of increasing psychological therapy capacity and this will help to clarify the numbers of staff, the skills set and the training requirements needed to do this. A business case will be submitted to Treasury as part of the comprehensive spending review in early 2007 which will make the case for investing in local psychological therapies services across England.
	NICE issued technology appraisal TA097 on computerised cognitive behavioural therapies (CCBT) in February 2006. By 31 March 2007, NICE requires all PCTs to provide access to the packages "Beating the Blues" as an option for the treatment of mild and moderate depression and "FearFighter" as an option for the treatment of panic and phobia. We consider CCBT as an effective vehicle towards empowering people to take charge of their own treatment.

Consultants

Shailesh Vara: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how much was spent by the NHS on external consultants in each of the last five years, broken down by  (a) primary care trust and  (b) strategic health authority; and for what reason the expenditure was incurred in each case.

Caroline Flint: The Department does not collect information from the national health service on expenditure on external consultants. While primary care trusts and NHS trusts operate within the financial framework set by the Department, they are accountable to strategic health authorities for their financial performance, not the Department, and publish their own set of annual financial accounts.

Contaminated Blood Products

Philip Hollobone: To ask the Secretary of State for Health pursuant to the answer of 23 November 2006,  Official Report, column 225W, on contaminated NHS blood products, what assessment she has made of the merits of undertaking a public inquiry into the supply of contaminated NHS blood products to people with haemophilia in relation to HIV and hepatitis B.

Caroline Flint: holding answer 4 December 2006
	We regret that patients were infected with HIV and hepatitis B through treatment with plasma products, prior to the introduction of heat treatment in the mid 1980s.
	These heat treatments were developed to inactivate HIV. HIV was much more sensitive to heat treatment than hepatitis C and hepatitis B. From the mid 1980s a range of heat treatments for plasma products were developed that eliminated HIV, hepatitis B and hepatitis C.
	Donor screening for HIV was introduced in 1985 and donor screening for hepatitis B was introduced by 1972. Both these microbiological tests were introduced as soon as practicable. In view of these actions, we do not consider a public inquiry is justified.
	In February this year, the Department published the report on "Self Sufficiency in Blood Products in England and Wales" which is available at:
	www.dh.gov.uk/PublicationsAndStatistics/Publications/PublicationsPolicyAndGuidance/PublicationsPolicyAndGuidanceArticle/fs/en?CONTENT_ID=4130917&chk=c91C7q
	This provides a summary on the issue of infected blood products.

Dentistry

David Evennett: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many  (a) adult and  (b) child patients are registered with a (i) GP practice and (ii) NHS dental practice in the London borough of Bexley; and how many were so registered on (A) 1 January and (B) 1 July in each of the last five years.

Rosie Winterton: The table shows numbers of registered general practitioner patients by specified age bands for Bexley Care Trust, as at 30 September 2001 to 2005.
	Prior to the introduction of the new national health service dental contract on 1 April 2006, numbers of patients registered with an NHS dentist were available under the old contractual arrangements. The latest information available is as at 31 March 2006. Data are available as at 31 March and 30 September and have been provided in the following table.
	Under the new dental contractual arrangements, this registration measure no longer exists. Instead, a new measure: number of patients treated within the last 24 months will be available for the 24 months ending 31 March 2006, 30 June 2006 and 30 September 2006. This will be published on 29 November 2006 in the NHS Dental Statistics for England Quarter Two report.
	
		
			  General dental services (GDS) and personal dental services (PDS): numbers of patients registered with an NHS dentist, by adult and children, in Bexley Care Trust at the specified date 2001 to 2006 
			   Adults  Children  Total 
			  2001
			 31 March 66,034 31,066 97,100 
			 30 September 66,437 30,719 97,156 
			 
			  2002
			 31 March 66,474 31,203 97,677 
			 30 September 66,029 30,738 96,767 
			 
			  2003
			 31 March 64,740 29,726 94,466 
			 30 September 70,878 32,055 102,933 
			 
			  2004
			 31 March 65,222 29,369 94,591 
			 30 September 62,795 28,949 91,744 
			 
			  2005
			 31 March 63,071 29,292 92,363 
			 30 September 62,065 28,715 90,780 
			 
			  2006
			 31 March 65,198 29,071 94,269 
			  Sources: The Information Centre for health and social care NHS Business Services Authority (BSA)

Dentistry

Oliver Heald: To ask the Secretary of State for Health 
	(1)  why the General Dental Council has closed the International Qualifying Examination list; when she expects the list to reopen; and if she will make a statement;
	(2)  what the examination pass rates were of each examination centres that offers the International Qualifying Examination for those wishing to practise dentistry in the UK in each of the last five years;
	(3)  what charges and fees are levied on those sitting the International Qualifying Examination to practise dentistry in the UK; and what estimate her Department has made of the total costs incurred by individuals wishing to take the examination;
	(4)  what the average waiting time was for candidates between initial application and sitting of the International Qualifying Examination to practise dentistry in the UK during the last 12 months;
	(5)  whether preference is given to  (a) British citizens and  (b) permanent UK residents in allocating places to sit the International Qualifying Examination to practise dentistry in the UK;
	(6)  how many  (a) applications were made and  (b) places were made available to sit the International Qualifying Examination for those wishing to practise dentistry in the UK in the last 12 months;
	(7)  how many  (a) British citizens,  (b) people permanently resident in the UK and  (c) others have (i) taken and (ii) passed the International Qualifying Examination to practise dentistry in each of the last five years.

Rosie Winterton: The Department does not hold this information. The General Dental Council (GDC), which is independent of Government, is responsible for setting and administering the international qualifying examination (IQE) for dentists wishing to practise in the United Kingdom who do not hold a recognised qualification. It would not be legal for the GDC to discriminate on grounds of nationality in admitting dentists to the IQE and allocating places on the examination.

Dentistry

Paul Burstow: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many unique dental patients were recorded by the Business Service Authority for each primary care trust in each month for which information is available; and how much in receipts from dental charges was recorded in each case in each month.

Rosie Winterton: Annual data on registrations, by primary care trust, from 1997 to 2006, are provided in the tables which have been placed in the Library.
	Also presented are annual data on receipts from dental charges, by PCT, from 1997-98 to 2005-06. It would involve disproportionate cost to produce these data on a monthly basis.
	Patient charges refer to national health service dental charge income collected from patients by dental practices. The data exclude any charge income that may have been collected within general dental services (GDS) directly managed by NHS trusts such as emergency dental service clinics or certain salaried dental services at health centres, or within trust-led personal dental services (PDS) such as certain dental access centres.
	PDS patient charge data are available from 2004-05 onwards, therefore figures relating to years prior to 2004-05 are based on GDS patient charges alone. Reliable PDS data are not available before 2004-05.

Dentistry

Paul Burstow: To ask the Secretary of State for Health 
	(1)  what the ring-fenced budget allocation for each primary care trust made for NHS dentistry  (a) was in 2005-06,  (b) is in 2006-07 and  (c) is planned to be in 2007-08;
	(2)  how much of the budget allocation for NHS dentistry for 2006-07 is funded from income from charges in each primary care trust.

Rosie Winterton: Primary care trusts (PCTs) assumed full responsibility for local commissioning of primary care dentistry and received devolved primary care dental allocations with effect from 1 April 2006. In 2005-06 PCTs received dental funding allocations only in respect of personal dental services pilot schemes; the bulk of primary dental care continued to be provided through the centrally funded general dental services.
	A table listing the primary dental service resource allocations for 2006-07 for all PCTs in England as at 31 July 2006 is available in the Library. This sets out the net budgets for each PCT and the assumed levels of gross expenditure on which each budget was based.
	The actual level of charge income will depend on a range of variables including the service levels, i.e. the annual units of dental activity, agreed for each local contract with dentists and the relative proportions of chargeable and non-chargeable treatments carried out during the year.
	Primary dental service allocations for 2007-08 have not yet been released.

Diabetes

Greg Hands: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what plans her Department has to provide guidance on the care of patients with complicated diabetic foot wounds.

Rosie Winterton: The "Diabetic Foot Guide" was published by the national health service national diabetes support team in April 2006. This guide helps in developing an integrated and effective diabetic foot care service and copies have been placed in the Library.

Egg Share Organism Creation

Nigel Waterson: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many research centres have applied to the Human Fertilisation and Embryology Authority for a licence to perform egg share organism creation.

Andy Burnham: One research centre has applied to the Human Fertilisation and Embryology Authority for a licence to carry out egg sharing as part of a research project.

Home Birth Services

Martin Horwood: To ask the Secretary of State for Health 
	(1)  how many NHS trusts have withdrawn home birth services due to staff shortages or lack of capacity in each year since 1997;
	(2)  on what grounds an NHS trust may refuse a request for a home birth; and on how many occasions in each year since 2000 women have had a request for home birth refused on non-health related grounds;
	(3)  what steps she is taking to ensure that the National Service Framework (NSF) Commitment to ensure that every woman is able to choose  (a) the most appropriate place and  (b) the professional to attend her during childbirth based on her wishes and cultural preferences is met by 2009; and if she will make a statement on the NSF Implementation Plan;
	(4)  on how many occasions maternity units have closed temporarily due to safety concerns related to staff shortages in each year since 1997; for what duration each was closed; and if she will make a statement;
	(5)  on how many occasions since 2000 home birth services have been withdrawn due to insufficient capacity, broken down by strategic health authority;
	(6)  To ask the Secretary of State for Health on what safety grounds a maternity unit is required to close temporarily to admissions.

Ivan Lewis: Information on the number of national health service trusts that have withdrawn home birth services due to staff shortages or lack of capacity is not collected centrally.
	It is for primary care trusts and NHS maternity care providers to determine the practicalities of providing a home birth service locally. An NHS trust may refuse a request for a home birth on a number of grounds, including high-risk pregnancies and insufficient midwifery staff. Information on the number of occasions women have had a request for home birth refused on non-health related grounds is not collected centrally.
	The Department has put into place a concentrated work programme to implement the maternity standard of the National Service Framework and to ensure that the "Our Health, Our Care, Our Say" White Paper commitment is met. We are developing a maternity services delivery plan, which will reflect the extensive system reform programme that the NHS is currently undergoing. It will set out a strategy to achieve our commitment to give women clinically appropriate choice over the maternity services they will receive in line with the commitment made in "Our Health, Our care, Our Say".
	Information on the number of occasions maternity units have closed temporarily due to safety concerns related to staff shortages is not collected centrally.
	Information on the number of occasions home birth services have been withdrawn due to insufficient capacity is not collected centrally.
	Maternity units may temporarily close for a number of safety reasons. This can include insufficient midwifery or medical staff, inappropriate experienced skill mix to provide high dependency care, no available beds in the maternity unit, infection in clinical areas as advised by the infection control officer or because the neonatal unit is closed.

Hospital-acquired Infections

David Drew: To ask the Secretary of State for Health which hospital trusts have appointed named individuals with responsibility for tackling hospital-acquired infections, and which have not done so; and how much each trust has spent on tackling such infections in each of the last three years.

Andy Burnham: "The Health Act 2006 Code of Practice for the Prevention and Control of Health Care Associated Infections" requires all National Health Safety bodies to designate a director of infection prevention and control. Information on these individuals and trust expenditure on tackling healthcare associated infection is not collected centrally, but the Healthcare Commission (HCC) will be monitoring compliance with the Code of Practice.

Hospital-acquired Infections

David Drew: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what the terms of reference are for the Rapid Review Panel of the Health Protection Agency responsible for hospital-acquired infections reduction.

Andy Burnham: The Rapid Review Panel's terms of reference are to provide a prompt assessment of new and novel equipment, materials, and other products or protocols that may be of value to the NHS in improving hospital infection control and reducing hospital acquired infections.
	The panel has been convened by the Health Protection Agency at the request of the Department. This was outlined in "Winning Ways: Working together to reduce Healthcare Associated Infection in England. Report from the Chief Medical Officer" and "Towards cleaner hospitals and lower rates of infection: A summary of action", both of which are available in the Library.
	The panel will not conduct evaluations of products but will review information and evidence provided and make recommendations to the Department.

Hydrogenated Oils

David Taylor: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what recent assessment she has made of the health effects of the consumption of hydrogenated oils and fats; and if she will make a statement.

Caroline Flint: holding answer 27 November 2006
	The Government are aware of the effects, particularly on coronary health, of consuming certain fats, including hydrogenated oils which contain trans fatty acids (TFAs).
	An assessment in 2004 by the European Food Safety Authority (EFSA) agreed with earlier conclusions of the United Kingdom's committee on medical aspects of food policy (COMA) that TFAs may increase risk of coronary heart disease by raising blood cholesterol levels.
	Discussions are ongoing between the Government and the Food Standards Agency in relation to existing assessments, but currently there are no plans to reassess the health effects of consuming trans fats.

Hydrogenated Oils

David Taylor: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what recent discussions she has had with the Food Standards Agency on the use of hydrogenated oils and fats in food products.

Caroline Flint: holding answer 27 November 2006
	I have had tentative discussions with the Food Standards Agency in relation to the existing assessment of the health effects of hydrogenated oils and fats in food products in the context of the broader regular meetings the agency.
	The Government currently have no plans to re-assess the health effects of consuming hydrogenated oils and fats in food products.

Independent Sector Treatment Centre

Geraldine Smith: To ask the Secretary of State for Health if she will assess the likely effects on University Hospitals Morecambe Bay Trust of the implementation of the Independent Sector Treatment Centre programme.

Ivan Lewis: holding answer 5 December 2006
	An assessment of the clinical assessment and treatment service's impact on key stakeholders is a matter for the local primary care trusts.

Inter-authority Transfers

Andrew Lansley: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what inter-authority transfers she has authorised under section 97 of the National Health Services Act 1997.

Andy Burnham: Inter authority transfers (IATs) are transfers of resource and/or cash limits between two NHS organisations and sum to zero overall. These transactions do not therefore affect the overall resource and cash limits provided for the NHS in the year.
	The following table provides the number of inter authority transfers (IATs) authorised for the financial years 2004-05 and 2005-06.
	
		
			  Total 
			   Revenue  Capital 
			 2004-05 8,336, 514 
			 2005-06 6,774 215

LINks

John Baron: To ask the Secretary of State for Health whether she intends that local involvement networks (LINks) should have a power to enter NHS premises and inspect the quality of services; and whether assessment and monitoring of NHS services will be one of the functions of LINks.

Caroline Flint: We received many comments following the consultation process for the publication of "A Stronger Local Voice", copies of which are available in the Library. We are currently collating and analysing these comments and will shortly publish our response, which will detail the powers local involvement networks will need to undertake their role effectively.

Mandatory Retirement Ages

Gordon Marsden: To ask the Secretary of State for Health which NHS trusts have mandatory retirement ages.

Rosie Winterton: This information is not held centrally.

Maternity Services: East Sussex

Nigel Waterson: To ask the Secretary of State for Health if she will take steps to defer the closure of maternity services on one site in East Sussex hospitals trust until public consultation has taken place.

Ivan Lewis: This is a matter for the local national health service.

Mental Health

David Drew: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what plans she has to extend access to  (a) cognitive behaviour therapy and  (b) other psychological therapies for people with (i) obsessive compulsive disorder and (ii) other anxiety-based disorders.

Rosie Winterton: The National Institute for Health and Clinical Excellence (NICE) published guidelines on the treatment of depression and anxiety in December 2004. These give emphatic support to making evidence based psychological therapies, including cognitive behaviour therapy (CBT), available as an adjunct or alternative to drug treatments for the treatment of mild to moderate depression, anxiety and schizophrenia. NICE also published guidelines on the treatment of obsessive compulsive disorder (OCD) in November 2005. The guidance covers which treatments may be offered as treatment for OCD, naming CBT specifically.
	The Government support better mental health services and we launched our improving access to psychological therapies (IAPT) programme in May. This policy was also set out in our 2005 manifesto and in the "Our Health, Our Care, Our Say" White Paper. We are looking to develop a service model for delivering a range of evidence-based interventions, with the focus being on cognitive behavioural therapy because this has the broadest evidence base.
	We expect IAPT to provide robust evidence in favour of increasing psychological therapy capacity and this will help to clarify the numbers of staff, the skills set and the training requirements needed to do this. A business case will be submitted to Treasury as part of the comprehensive spending review in early 2007 which will make the case for investing in local psychological therapies services across England.

Methadone

John Robertson: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what the cost was of methadone programmes in each year since 2002.

Caroline Flint: The pooled treatment budget (PTB) is allocated to drug action teams for the treatment of substance misuse. We are unable to identify how much of this money is allocated to meet methadone programme costs, since these decisions are made locally. Expenditure on drug treatment since 2002, including the PTB, is shown in the table.
	
		
			  Expenditure on drug treatment (excluding prison-based treatment) 
			   Central Government funding (pooled treatment budget)  Local funding (local authorities, primary care trusts, police, probation)  
			   Allocation  (£ million)  Percentage increase  Allocation (£ million)  Total allocation  (£ million) 
			 2002-03 191 37 131 322 
			 2003-04 236 23 200 436 
			 2004-05 253 7 204 457 
			 2005-06 300 18 208 508 
			 2006-07 385 28 (1, 2)212 597 
			 (1) Estimated. (2) Local funding increases based on 2 per cent. inflation increase.

Motor Neurone Disease

Helen Jones: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how much public funding was allocated for research into motor neurone disease in each year since 1997.

Andy Burnham: The main agency through which the Government supports biomedical research is the Medical Research Council (MRC). The MRC is an independent body funded by the Department of Trade and Industry via the Office of Science and Innovation.
	The information available in respect of expenditure on motor neurone disease research supported by the MRC is shown in the table.
	
		
			   £ million 
			 1999-2000 1.6 
			 2000-01 1.4 
			 2001-02 2.0 
			 2002-03 2.0 
			 2003-04 2.5 
			 2004-05 1.5 
		
	
	The main part of the Department's research and development budget is allocated to and managed by national health service organisations. These organisations account for their use of the allocations they receive from the Department in an annual research and development report. The reports identify total, aggregated expenditure on national priority areas. Neurological conditions is one of those areas, and reported spend is shown in the table.
	
		
			   £ million 
			 2002-03 28 
			 2003-04 30 
			 2004-05 27 
			 2005-06 26 
		
	
	This expenditure data was not collected centrally prior to 2002.
	Details of individual projects supported in the NHS, including some 27 projects concerned with motor neurone disease, can be found on the national research register at
	www.dh.gov.uk/research.
	 Note:
	Expenditure in 2004-05 was atypical because some projects ended at the start of the financial year, and some newly awarded projects did not incur expenditure until it had ended.

National Contingency Measures

Sandra Gidley: To ask the Secretary of State for Health whether local escalation of national contingency measures is in place with the appropriate health and local government authorities.

Rosie Winterton: The national health service is prepared to deal with a range of incidents and has been responding effectively to major incidents. Specifically, well developed plans and preparations are in place to handle chemical, biological, radiological or nuclear (CBRN) incidents, however caused. The Department has issued extensive additional guidance to the NHS on handling pandemic influenza, infectious diseases, anthrax, smallpox, plague, tularaemia, botulism and CBRN release. Contingency plans are multi-agency, cross Government and are regularly tested, reviewed and updated in the light of changing domestic and international circumstances.

National Contingency Measures

Sandra Gidley: To ask the Secretary of State for Health which of the measures outlined in the UK pandemic contingency measures plan her Department has taken to prevent a pandemic of the H5N1 avian influenza virus, in terms of  (a) human vaccine supplies delivered as stockpile,  (b) non-pharmaceutical protection measures such as masks, clothing and body bags in the event of a pandemic and  (c) the award of pharmaceutical research contracts to produce human vaccine once the strain causing the pandemic is identified.

Rosie Winterton: The Department is stockpiling 3.3 million doses of H5N1 vaccine and around half of these have already been delivered.
	We are currently considering whether we should centrally procure and stockpile FFP3 respirators and facemasks for health professionals, and a decision will be reached as soon as possible. We are also considering whether to stockpile other non-pharmaceutical protection measures.
	As regards body bags, the World Health Organization and the Health Protection Agency have advised that they will not normally be necessary. Therefore, the United Kingdom influenza pandemic contingency plan does not include any proposal to procure a central stockpile of these.
	In October 2005, the Chief Medical Officer announced that we are inviting manufacturers to tender for a contract to supply pandemic vaccine to the UK population once the pandemic emerges and the viral strain is identified. The tendering process for these contracts is ongoing.

NHS Finance

Cheryl Gillan: To ask the Secretary of State for Health 
	(1)  what NHS expenditure per head was in Chesham and Amersham constituency in 2005-06;
	(2)  what NHS expenditure per head was in Liverpool in 2005-06;
	(3)  what NHS expenditure per head was in Sedgefield constituency in 2005-06.

Andy Burnham: The information requested is not available by parliamentary constituency.

NHS Finance

Sally Keeble: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what deficits are projected in 2006-07 for each of the primary care trusts within the East Midlands region.

Andy Burnham: We published the NHS financial performance for the second quarter of 2006-07, on the 9 November 2006, which provides details of the forecast year end position reported by national health service organisations.
	The report is available in the Library. It is also available on the Department's website at:
	www.dh.gov.uk/PublicationsAndStatistics/Publications/PublicationsPolicyAndGuidance/PublicationsPolicyAndGuidanceArticle/fs/en?CONTENT_ID=4140436&chk=WmhHTZ

NICE

Frank Field: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many drugs have been  (a) approved,  (b) partially approved and  (c) rejected for prescribing on the NHS by the National Institute for Health and Clinical Excellence since its inception.

Andy Burnham: Since the National Institute for Health and Clinical Excellence (NICE) was established in 1999, it has completed 111 technology appraisals. Of the 77 appraisals of pharmaceuticals, NICE has approved 25 drugs, partially approved 49 drugs, and rejected one drug. It has also recommended further research on two drugs.

Non-medical Professions

David Drew: To ask the Secretary of State for Health 
	(1)  what progress is being made on the implementation of the proposals in the Foster Review for the regulation of non-medical professions; and what steps she has taken following responses to consultation on the complaints procedures for misconduct;
	(2)  what action has been taken to address the concerns raised by professional bodies about the proposals in the Foster Review statutorily to regulate the non-medical healthcare professions.

Andy Burnham: A four-month period of consultation on proposals for change in Healthcare Professional Regulation ended on 10 November 2006.
	We are now considering the way forward in the light of responses and the Government's policy objectives. We expect to publish our proposals early in the new year.

Nurse-Family Partnership

Graham Allen: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what discussions Ministers in her Department have had with the hon. Member for Nottingham, North on the Nurse-Family Partnership.

Ivan Lewis: I held a meeting with the hon. member on Tuesday 21 November to discuss Nurse Family Partnership.

Nurses Uniforms

Stephen O'Brien: To ask the Secretary of State for Health 
	(1)  what the average  (a) cost and  (b) life time's wear of a nurse's uniform is;
	(2)  what her Department's policy is on the provision of changing facilities for nurses in NHS hospitals; and if she will make a statement;
	(3)  what recent research has been carried out into nurses uniforms that may be carrying infections as nurses move between their home, patients and wards; and if she will make a statement;
	(4)  whether methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus can be carried on nurses' uniforms; and what evidence she drew on to make such an assessment;
	(5)  what she estimates the effect on the number of cases of methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus to be if nurses and hospital staff were not allowed to leave their places of work wearing their uniforms;
	(6)  what the terms of reference are for her Department's review of uniform policy in the NHS; when the review is expected to be completed; who the members of the review team are; what their qualifications are; and if she will make a statement.

Andy Burnham: The expected life of a nurse's uniform is two years with normal use. The cost varies dependent on style and supplier. Typical costs are as follows:
	
		
			   £ 
			 Nurses dress style in white 8.95 
			 Nurse female tunic style in white 7.70 
			 Nurse female trouser style in white 6.57 
		
	
	The provision of changing facilities is a matter for local determination.
	Earlier this year, the Department's working group on uniforms commissioned a literature review to examine the possible risks of uniforms in respect of healthcare associated infections. The reviewers concluded that there was no evidence that uniforms posed a significant risk. The Department has also commissioned research into laundering of uniforms. This work is still ongoing. The results will inform the recommendations of the working group.
	The available evidence suggests that although it is possible to isolate micro-organisms from uniforms, many of these will be the wearer's own skin flora, and good hygiene practice, including the appropriate use of aprons and gloves, will minimise transmission.
	The evidence suggests that a ban on wearing uniforms outside the workplace would not significantly affect the number of cases of methicillin-resistant staphylococcus aureus.
	The uniform working group expects to report early in the new year. The terms of reference are as follows:
	To develop a national policy statement on the wearing of uniforms in respect of professional appearance and patient confidence, healthcare associated infection and changing facilities; and
	To refresh HSG (95)18 on laundry and linen management, including guidance on temperatures for washing uniforms In keeping with the principles of devolved authority, the output will be good practice guidance, and will not be prescriptive.
	Membership is as follows:
	
		
			  Name  Job title  Qualifications  Place of work 
			 Liz Jones Head of Patient Environment PhD, RN, Department of Health 
			 Phil Liversidge Linen and Laundry Services Manager Member Hospital Linen Services and Laundry Managers Airedale General Hospital 
			 Graham Jacob Cleaning Lead — National Patient Safety Agency 
			 Geoff Ridgway Senior Medical Officer MD, BSc, FRCP, FRCPath, HoN, Dip HIC, PIDSc Department of Health 
			 Ken Holmes Public Health Engineer MSc, B.Eng, BSc, C.Eng, MCIBSE Department of Health 
			 Janice Stevens Programme Director MA, RGN Department of Health 
			 Carole Fry Nursing Officer RN, RM Department of Health 
			 Louise O'Shea Infection Control Adviser Msc. Dip. Infection Control, RGN Royal College of Nursing 
			 Carmel Edwards Senior Infection Control Nurse SEN, RGN, MA Wirral Health Services 
			 John Holton Senior Microbiologist BSc, MB, ChB, PhD, MRCPath University College Hospital 
			 Andrew Jones Director of Allied Clinical and Facilities Services Member of IHSM Chesterfield Royal Hospital 
			 Robert Spencer Quality Manager MB, BS, MSc, FRCPath, FRCP(G), HonDipHIC Health Protection Agency South West 
			 Patricia Gould Acting Director RM, MA Sociological Research in Health Care Royal College of Midwives 
			 Debbie Dzik-Jurasc Co-Director RGN, DMS, MSc Royal College of Nursing 
			 Gail Adams Head of Nursing — UNISON 
			 Paul Gibson Northwest Regional Chairman of Hospital Linen Services and Laundry Managers — Bolton Hospitals NHS Trust 
			 Tracey Gauci Principal Nurse RGN, BSc (Infection Control) Welsh Assembly Government 
			 Elizabeth Qua Principal Nurse OBE Health Estates, Dundonald 
			 Denise Price Assistant Director of Nursing RGN, ONC, DipDN, MSc Birmingham Heartlands Hospital 
			 Paul Sheehan Buyer — NHS Purchasing and Supply Agency/

Paediatrics

David Wright: To ask the Secretary of State for Health if she will estimate the number of additional  (a) consultant paediatricians and  (b) staff grade paediatricians required to be recruited to the NHS in each of the five financial years commencing with 2007-08.

Rosie Winterton: Information relating to the estimated number of consultant paediatricians and staff grade paediatricians required is not held centrally.

Patient Transport Services

Andrew Lansley: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what estimate she has made of the additional cost to primary care trusts of extending patient transport services to procedures which were traditionally provided in a hospital but which are now provided in a community setting as stated in her Department's document Eligibility criteria for Patient Transport Services published on 17th November; and for what reasons she has decided not to introduce uniform, national eligibility criteria for access to patient transport services.

Rosie Winterton: Additional resources have been included in primary care trust (PCT) allocations to plan and provide for the extension of non-emergency patient transport services.
	It is important to note however that some PCTs already operate a greater level of eligibility than the current Department guidance requires, and therefore the actual cost may be lower.
	The draft guidance currently under consultation sets out broad, national eligibility criteria, also allows local PCTs the flexibility to better design services around the need of the patient. PCTs may choose to develop more detailed guidance to aid local implementation.

Payment by Results

Andrew Lansley: To ask the Secretary of State for Health 
	(1)  for what reasons the word 'consultation' in paragraph 4 of page 3 of Annex B to her Department's road-testing guidance for payment by results in 2007-08 is in inverted commas;
	(2)  what representations she has received from  (a) NHS organisations and  (b) other interested parties on the length of time which has been allowed to road-test the 2007-08 tariff.

Andy Burnham: The word consultation in paragraph 4 of page 3 of Annex B to the Department's road-testing guidance for payment by results in 2007-08 is in inverted commas to indicate that the exercise was not conducted as a formal consultation as per the 'Code of Practice on Consultation' issued by the Cabinet Office.
	We have received no representations from the national health service on the length of time allowed to road test the tariff.

Pfizer

Nick Hurd: To ask the Secretary of State for Health 
	(1)  what recent representations Ministers or officials have made to  (a) Pfizer and  (b) Unichem on Pfizer's decision to sell its products through a single distribution channel in the UK from early 2007; and if she will make a statement;
	(2)  assessment her Department has made of the likely availability of Pfizer products from early 2007.

Andy Burnham: Ministers have held no discussions with either Pfizer or Unichem. However, officials have met with both parties in order to secure the assurances provided that the new arrangements will provide an appropriate and continued supply of United Kingdom-sourced Pfizer products to pharmacists, hospitals and dispensing doctors.
	This is a commercial matter for Pfizer. Pfizer have assured the Department that it will make every effort to ensure that these new arrangements will not result in any disruptions in the supply of its UK-sourced branded medicines to national health service patients nor any increase in costs. The Department will monitor these new arrangements with a view to taking corrective action if appropriate.

Primary Care Trusts

Steve Webb: To ask the Secretary of State for Health if she will estimate the cost to her Department of  (a) the fitness for purpose review,  (b) the assessment centres attended by chief executives of reconfiguring primary care trusts and  (c) the assessment of primary care trusts for waves (i) 1 and 2 and (ii) 3a and 3b, broken down by primary care trust.

Ivan Lewis: The primary care trust (PCTs) will spend £64.6 billion in 2006-07 and the cost to the Department of supporting the fitness for purpose programme for them is £6.5 million.
	In 2006, the Department has paid £287,000 to three companies to support the recruitment of chief executives to PCTs through assessment centres.
	The total costs of wave one, two and three are £2.6 million, £1.3 million and £2.5 million respectively.
	The cost to the Department of assessing each PCT for wave one was £45,000, for wave two it was £40,000 and for wave three it will be £35,000.

Rapid Review Panel

Andrew Lansley: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many product assessments the Rapid Review Panel has undertaken since December 2003; how many assessed products were recommended to the Department of Health for use in the NHS; how many products were recommended for use by the NHS Purchasing and Supplies Agency; and how many products in use by the NHS were recommended by the panel.

Andy Burnham: To date 168 products have been reviewed by the rapid review panel (RRP) and their recommendations are on the Health Protection Agency's website. Of these, three products have received a recommendation 1 which means that basic research and development, validation and recent in use evaluations have shown benefits that should be available to national health service bodies to include as appropriate in their cleaning, hygiene or infection control protocols. A further 18 products have received a recommendation 2 which means that basic research and development has been completed and the product may have potential value and in use evaluations/trials are now needed in an NHS clinical setting and this will be taken forward by the companies.
	Information on products used by the NHS is not collected centrally and the RRP only considers new and novel equipment, materials and other products that may help improve infection control.
	The NHS Purchasing and Supply Agency does not recommend particular products.

Regulation (Consultation)

Andrew Lansley: To ask the Secretary of State for Health when she intends to publish a document for consultation based on her Department's wider review of regulation.

Andy Burnham: We published a consultation document on the future regulation of health and adult social care in England on 27 November, and copies are available in the Library.

Residential Care/Sheltered Housing

Anne Main: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what guidance her Department has issued to health authorities on criteria to be applied when considering cases involving spousal liability for  (a) residential care in care homes and  (b) sheltered housing for the elderly.

Ivan Lewis: The National Assistance Act 1948 sets out the framework within which local authorities assess what people can afford to contribute to the cost of care in a care home. The charging regulations do not apply to sheltered accommodation.
	Under sections 42 and 43 of the Act, where a person goes into residential care and receives assistance from a local authority in meeting the cost of that care, the local authority has discretionary powers to ask the person's "liable relatives", in effective their spouse, to make payments towards the costs incurred by the state.
	The responsibility for applying the charging regulations, including seeking liable relatives payments, rests with local authorities and the Department has, issued guidance to local authorities.
	The liable relatives rule is now widely regarded as anachronistic and we intend to repeal it at the earliest opportunity. Additional funding has been provided to meet the cost to authorities of repealing the rule. In the interim, until the rule is repealed, guidance has been issued to local authorities strongly encouraging them to exercise their discretion in favour of not applying the rule.

Speech and Language Therapists

Jim Cousins: To ask the Secretary of State for Health 
	(1)  what estimate she has made of the number of speech and language therapy graduates who completed training in each of the last three years;
	(2)  what estimate she has made of the number of 2006 speech and language therapy graduates who were unable to find employment as speech therapists in the NHS.

Caroline Flint: holding answer 5 December 2006
	The information requested is not collected centrally.
	The Higher Education Statistics Agency has some data for speech and language therapy students completing training and this is available at:
	www.hesa.ac.uk.

Turnaround Teams

Andrew Lansley: To ask the Secretary of State for Health which NHS organisations have been in receipt of turnaround support in each month since January 2006.

Andy Burnham: Turnaround teams were announced by the Secretary of State in a written ministerial statement in December 2005.
	The baseline assessment conducted by KPMG categorised the organisations requiring turnaround intervention from category one (urgent) to category four (under control). This exercise concluded in February 2006.
	Several months into the programme, the national programme office for turnaround revisited the composition of the cohort in consultation with the strategic health authority, chief executives/finance directors/turnaround directors. The organisations were re-categorised as high priority and priority.
	A list of these organisations has been placed in the Library.
	Financial balance remains the responsibility of the SHA and there may be additional local arrangements where the organisation and the SHA agree this is required.

Waiting Times

Christopher Fraser: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what the average waiting time for  (a) pathology and  (b) radiology appointments was in each of the last eight years.

Andy Burnham: The median waiting times for a first out-patient appointment following General Practitioner referral for the specialties general and chemical pathology and radiology are shown in the table.
	
		
			  Median waiting times from GP referral to 1( st)  out-patient attendance 
			  Median wait (weeks) 
			  Period ending September:  General and chemical pathology  Radiology 
			 1999 5.7 3.1 
			 2000 9.6 3.2 
			 2001 11.0 3.3 
			 2002 10.1 3.4 
			 2003 8.9 3.5 
			 2004 9.1 3.5 
			 2005 7.8 4.0 
			 2006 6.8 3.1 
			  Source: QM08Rs returns from Primary Care Trusts

Welwyn Hatfield Hospital

Anne Main: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what factors were taken into account when the decision was made not to grant funding for the Welwyn Hatfield Hospital project; and if she will make a statement.

Andy Burnham: This is a local issue for the national health service. I understand the decision not to pursue the proposals for a new PFI Hospital at Welwyn Hatfield was taken by East and North Hertfordshire NHS Trust in consultation with the Hertfordshire Primary Care Trust and NHS East of England Strategic Health Authority when they met on 8 November.

West Hertfordshire Acute Hospital Trust

Michael Penning: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what account was taken of trusts' obligations in time of major incidents or pandemics when considering the proposed closures of acute services by West Hertfordshire Acute Hospital Trust.

Caroline Flint: It is for strategic health authorities (SHAs), national health service trusts, primary care trusts (PCTs) and ambulance trusts to plan for emergencies.
	In order to gauge progress PCTs and NHS trusts in England have been required to carry out self-audits of their influenza pandemic plans. SHAs were asked to sign off these self-assessments and submit a sample covering the range of trusts in their area to provide a national picture. This sample confirmed that significant progress has been made in strengthening health arrangements, with most organisations considering that they have resilient and sustainable contingency measures in place.

West Hertfordshire Acute Hospital Trust

Michael Penning: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what contingency planning her Department has made for the East of England Ambulance Trust when accident and emergency departments outside Hertfordshire are on medical alert and cannot accept patients.

Caroline Flint: It is expected that local services, including East of England Ambulance Trust should agree local protocols for dealing with issues of capacity. Development of trust procedures should involve discussions with neighbouring accident and emergency departments, local ambulance services and the strategic health authority.

West Hertfordshire Acute Hospital Trust

Michael Penning: To ask the Secretary of State for Health when the East of England Ambulance Trust gave assurances to the Board of West Hertfordshire Hospital Trust to provide transport for all category A targets for patients after the closure of the accident and emergency department at Hemel Hempstead hospital; and what effect on patients' travel time is expected after the closure.

Caroline Flint: The decision about the location of accident and emergency departments and any assurances that the Board of West Hertfordshire Hospital National Health Service Trust may have received from the East of England Ambulance Trust is a local matter. The hon. Member may wish to contact Ms Maria Ball, Chair of East of England Ambulance Trust, at:
	Ambulance Headquarters
	Hospital Lane
	Hellesdon
	Norwich
	NR6 5NA

West Hertfordshire Acute Hospital Trust

Michael Penning: To ask the Secretary of State for Health 
	(1)  how many operational paramedics are able to provide advanced paediatric airway management in the area served by West Hertfordshire Hospital Trust; and if she will make a statement;
	(2)  how many paramedics on each shift on average are trained and available to undertake pre-hospital thrombolysis in the area served by West Hertfordshire Hospital Trust; and if she will make a statement.

Andy Burnham: The information requested is not held centrally.

Wet Age-related Macular Degeneration

Mike Hancock: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what factors are taken into account when deciding whether to make  (a) macugen and  (b) lucentis available for the treatment of wet age-related macular degeneration; and if she will make a statement.

Rosie Winterton: National Institute for Health and Clinical Excellence started its review of Macugen and Lucentis as a treatment for the wet form of AMD on 1 August 2006 and the final guidance is expected in October 2007. NICE will consider the clinical and cost effectiveness of Macugen and Lucentis for the classic and non classic forms of wet AMD and will include advice on where Macugen and Lucentis may be effective.

Youth Voluntary Ambulance Service

Mark Harper: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what recent progress has been made in the inclusion of cadet training in the Youth Voluntary Ambulance Service.

Ivan Lewis: The information requested is not held centrally by the Department.

TREASURY

Corporation Tax

Charles Walker: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what assessment he has made of the effects of corporation tax on the competitiveness of the economy.

Dawn Primarolo: As announced in Budget 2006 and reiterated in the recent PBR, the Government are determined to maintain the overall competitiveness of the UK business tax system and maintain a constructive dialogue with business on international tax issues. The Government are committed to a business tax system which supports business competitiveness, in order to promote productivity and growth; and which operates fairly across businesses and sectors. The Government have undertaken extensive engagement with business. The recommendations of the Varney Review of HMRC links with large business, published 17 November, will improve the responsiveness of tax administration to the needs of business.

Corporation Tax

Philip Davies: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what assessment he has made of the effect of the level of corporation tax on the competitiveness of the British economy.

David Ruffley: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what assessment he has made of the effect of the level of business taxation on the competitiveness of British companies.

Dawn Primarolo: As announced in Budget 2006 and reiterated in the recent PBR, the Government are determined to maintain the overall competitiveness of the UK business tax system and maintain a constructive dialogue with business on international tax issues. The Government are committed to a business tax system which supports business competitiveness, in order to promote productivity and growth; and which operates fairly across businesses and sectors. The Government have undertaken extensive engagement with business. The recommendations of the Varney Review of HMRC links with large business, published 17 November, will improve the responsiveness of tax administration to the needs of business.

Non-domiciliary Taxation

Norman Baker: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what plans he has to reform the taxation arrangements for those with UK assets and income claiming non-domiciliary status.

Dawn Primarolo: The Chancellor announced a review of the residence and domicile rules as they affect individuals. That work is continuing. The Chancellor will base his decisions on any reforms in this area on the outcome of the review.

Pensions

Charles Hendry: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer when he last met the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions to discuss the taxation of pensions; and if he will make a statement.

Julie Kirkbride: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer when he last met the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions to discuss the taxation of pensions; and if he will make a statement.

Edward Balls: Treasury Ministers regularly meet DWP counterparts to discuss a range of issues, including the taxation of pensions.

Unemployment

Andrew Rosindell: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what steps he is taking to tackle unemployment; and if he will make a statement.

John Healey: The Government's measures to tackle unemployment are built on a platform of macro-economic stability, continued investment in the New Deal, investment in skills and training, and policies to make work pay. In a context of record employment levels, these policies have contributed to a reduction of 334,000 in unemployment since 1997; a two-thirds reduction in the numbers of young people claiming unemployment benefits for more than six months; and an unemployment rate which has declined in every region of the UK, and is well below the EU average.

Unemployment

Robert Wilson: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what steps he is taking to tackle unemployment; and if he will make a statement.

John Healey: The Government's measures to tackle unemployment are built on a platform of macro-economic stability, continued investment in the new deal, investment in skills and training, and policies to make work pay. In a context of record employment levels, these policies have contributed to a reduction of 334,000 in unemployment since 1997; a two-thirds reduction in the numbers of young people claiming unemployment benefits for more than six months; and an unemployment rate which has declined in every region of the UK, and is well below the EU average.

Stern Report

Mark Lazarowicz: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what steps he plans to take in response to the conclusions of the Stern report on the implications of climate change for the economy.

John Healey: The Government welcome Sir Nicholas Stern's review on the economics of climate change, which is informing Government policy on climate change on an ongoing basis. Chapter 7 of the pre-Budget report sets out the significant steps the Government have taken since the publication of the review.

Millennium Development Goals

Judy Mallaber: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what discussions he has had with international finance Ministers on progress towards the millennium development goals; and if he will make a statement.

Edward Balls: The Government are strongly committed to achieving the millennium development goals as set out in the Department for International Development's recent White Paper on eliminating world poverty.
	Under the UK presidency of the G8 in 2005 finance Ministers made a number of important commitments on ensuring the right resources are available to meet the MDGs: doubling aid to Africa by 2010, providing an extra $50 billion of aid a year globally and cancelling the debts owed by some of the poorest countries to the IMF, World Bank and African Development Bank. Our priority now is to ensure that we deliver on these commitments.
	In 2006, the UK has been leading international progress in areas such as debt relief, education and innovative financing for health.
	These issues are a regular topic of discussion with other finance Ministers, both bilaterally in our dealings with individual Ministers, and multilaterally, at meetings of the European Union's economic and financial council, the IMF and World Bank, the G7, the G20 and the Commonwealth.
	We welcome the recent announcement from Germany that Africa will be a priority under their G8 presidency. We will be working closely with them to ensure that the international community delivers the necessary support to developing countries to make progress towards the millennium development goals.

Consumer Debt

Gregory Campbell: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what the latest estimate is of total consumer debt in the UK.

John Healey: The Bank of England provides monthly data on the outstanding stock of household debt. In October, the total stock of debt was £1,268,175 million, of which £1,055,947 million was secured against dwellings and £212,228 million was consumer credit.

Cost Effectiveness

Vincent Cable: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what the 10 biggest efficiency savings were which contributed to the total of £13.3 billion announced on 23 November in his Department's news release 97/06; and if he will break down by department  (a) the savings and  (b) the gross reduction in civil service posts announced in the news release.

Stephen Timms: holding answer 4 December 2006
	The 10 biggest efficiency initiatives contributing to the efficiency gains we announced on 23 November are listed as follows. Further detail is available in departmental efficiency technical notes.
	1. DH—Pharmaceuticals—Generic Switching £1,204 million.
	2. DH—Service Improvement £1,056 million.
	3. HO—Force level Efficiencies £888 million.
	4. MOD—Defence Logistics Transformation Programme £541 million.
	5. HO—Asylum Support Cost Reduction £445 million.
	6. DH—Core PASA Procurement £442 million.
	7. DWP—Payment Modernisation programme £311 million.
	8. DH—Social Care Efficiency £306 million
	9. DCLG—Local Government—Corporate Services £277 million.
	10.DCLG—New Supply Registered Social Landlords £276million.
	Departments are responsible for implementing their efficiency programmes and workforce strategies. They report on progress twice a year, in autumn performance reports and departmental reports. 2006 autumn performance reports will contain further information about the efficiency and workforce reduction figures announced on the 23 November.

Manufacturing

Philip Hollobone: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what steps he is taking to tackle the economic effects of unemployment in the manufacturing sector; and if he will make a statement.

John Healey: The Government's measures to tackle unemployment are built on a platform of macro-economic stability, continued investment in the new deal, investment in skills and training, and policies to make work pay—since spring 1997 overall employment has risen by 2.5 million and unemployment has fallen by 334,000. Most people who do experience redundancy, find work again quickly and nearly 80 per cent. of people who claim unemployment benefit leave benefit within six months. Jobcentre Plus provides additional support in the case of large-scale redundancies through its rapid response service.

Public Bodies

Jim Cousins: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer how many and what percentage of staff of each public body responsible to him were  (a) on fixed term appointments and  (b) agency workers in each of the last three years.

John Healey: The information is as follows:
	
		
			   Fixed term appointments  Agency workers 
			   2003-04  2004-05  2005-06  2003-04  2004-05  2005-06 
			   No.  %  No  %  No  %  No  %  No  %  No  % 
			 HM Treasury 87 7.7 82 7.2 78 6.9 n/a n/a n/a n/a n/a n/a 
			 Royal Mint 74 8.5 150 16.3 159 17.0 1 0.1 0 0 0 0 
			 NS and I 20 16.0 14 7.0 12 8.5 4 3.0 12 8.5 9 6.5 
			 ONS 86 1.6 62 1.11 0 — 46 0.86 172 3.09 127 2.51 
			 GAD 10 10.0 7 6.6 5 4.9 n/a n/a n/a n/a n/a n/a 
			 OGC 20 4.0 70 13.0 70 13.0 n/a n/a 47 9.0 49 9.0 
			 OGCBS n/a n/a 2 0.8 3 1.1 n/a n/a 50 — 59 — 
			 VOA 574 9.82 710 11.13 51 0.96 n/a n/a 57 0.89 108 2.0 
		
	
	The Treasury and Government Actuary's Department do not keep central records on the numbers of agency workers and would therefore only be able to provide this information at disproportionate cost.

Retail Price Index

Theresa Villiers: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer 
	(1)  on what occasions he has sought the advice of the Bank of England on defining the retail price index over the last five years;
	(2)  whether he consulted the Bank of England on the incorporation of hedonics into determination of the retail price index.

John Healey: The Chancellor has, on two occasions in the past five years, consulted the Bank of England on whether changes to defining the retail price index constitute a change to the way that the RPI is constructed which, in the opinion of the Bank of England, constitutes a fundamental change in the index which would be materially detrimental to the interests of the stockholders of index-linked gilts issued under prospectuses that contain an early redemption clause to protect investors' interests.

Tax Credits

Roger Gale: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer on how many occasions, and between what dates, HM Revenue and Customs has run out of tax credit claim packs.

Dawn Primarolo: I refer the hon. Member to the reply I gave the hon. Member for North Wiltshire (Mr. Gray) on 9 October 2006,  Official Report, column 301W.

DUCHY OF LANCASTER

Teenage Pregnancies

Mohammad Sarwar: To ask the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster what recent assessment she has made of the impact of teenage pregnancy on the life-chances of mothers and children.

Beverley Hughes: I have been asked to reply.
	Evidence shows that having children at a young age can impact negatively on young women's health and well-being and limit their education and career prospects. Longitudinal studies also show that children born to teenagers are more likely to experience a range of negative outcomes in later life. For example:
	At age 30, teenage mothers are 22 per cent. more likely to be living in poverty than mothers giving birth aged 24 or over, and are much less likely to be employed or living with a partner;
	Teenage mothers are 20 per cent. more likely to have no qualification at age 30 than mothers giving birth aged 24 or over;
	Teenage mothers have three times the rate of post-natal depression of older mothers and a higher risk of poor mental health for three years after the birth;
	The infant mortality rate for babies born to teenage mothers is 60 per cent. higher than for babies born to older mothers;
	Teenage mothers are three times more likely to smoke throughout their pregnancy, and 50 per cent less likely to breastfeed, than older mothers—both of which have negative health consequences for the child;
	Children of teenage mothers have a 63 per cent. increased risk of being born into poverty compared to babies born to mothers in their twenties.

Volunteering for All Programme

Ben Wallace: To ask the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster whether the Muslim Youth Helpline and Timebank application for a grant from the Office of the Third Sector's Volunteering for All programme was successful in obtaining public funding.

Edward Miliband: Volunteering for All is a Cabinet Office initiative designed to help increase the numbers of people from groups at risk of social exclusion that undertake voluntary activity.
	Following an open competitive grants round, on 18 September 2006 the Cabinet Office announced funding for volunteering opportunities over two years until March 2008 as part of that programme. A bid led by Timebank, with support from the charity Muslim Youth Helpline was one of five successful bids set out in the table.
	The Muslim Youth Helpline/Timebank grant enables both organisations to work together to enable MYH outreach workers, supported by a supply of information about volunteering opportunities and a team in Timebank to:
	The Muslim Youth Helpline/Timebank grant enables both organisations to work together to enable MYH outreach workers, supported by a supply of information about volunteering opportunities and a team in Timebank to:
	Raise positive awareness of volunteering amongst 30,000 Pakistani and Bangladeshi adults in and around the North West;
	Promote the value of intercultural volunteering to young Pakistani and Bangladeshi people in the two targeted English regions;
	Enable 1200 young Pakistani and Bangladeshi people to register an interest in volunteering through the partnership;
	Place 400 young (18-30) Pakistani and Bangladeshi into volunteering opportunities.
	
		
			  Opportunity partner, grant total and purpose table 
			  Opportunity partner  Total grant 2006—March 2008 (£)  Purpose of grant 
			 Mencap 186,288 Will encourage people with learning disabilities to volunteer 
			 Scope 198,288 Will encourage people with physical disabilities to volunteer 
			 Timebanks UK 198,000 Will encourage local communities to set up reciprocal volunteering opportunities, which will allow members of local communities to volunteer for each other and bank volunteer credits that may be redeemed later 
			 Timebank 194,900 Will encourage young Pakistani and Bangladeshi volunteers in London and the North West 
			 Volunteer Reading Help 199,594 Will encourage volunteers to help primary schools through structured reading classes 
			 Total funding announced 977,070

COMMUNITIES AND LOCAL GOVERNMENT

City of York Council

Hugh Bayley: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what the annual percentage change in  (a) cash and  (b) real terms in government expenditure on formula grant and special grants to City of York council was in each year since 1997-98.

Phil Woolas: The annual percentage change in  (a) cash and  (b) real terms in formula grant and specific and special grants inside Aggregate External Finance (AEF) to City of York council in each year since 1997-98 is tabled as follows.
	
		
			  Percentage change over previous years 
			   Cash  2005-06 prices 
			 1997-98 -0.9 -3.7 
			 1998-99 4.3 1.7 
			 1999-2000 7.1 5.0 
			 2000-01 9.2 7.6 
			 2001-02 6.5 4.0 
			 2002-03 6.5 3.3 
			 2003-04 17.2 13.8 
			 2004-05 2.3 -0.5 
			 2005-06 6.4 4.5 
			 2006-07 0.7 -1.7 
			  Notes: 1. The 2005-06 prices figures have been calculated using the latest GDP deflators. 2. Formula grant includes Revenue Support Grant, redistributed business rates and Police Grant. 3. Specific and special grants inside Aggregate External Finance are those revenue grants paid for councils' core services, excluding funding for local authorities' housing management.  Sources: Communities and Local Government Revenue Outturn (RO) and Revenue Account (RA) Budget returns and HM Treasury GDP deflators.

Consultants

Caroline Spelman: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government how much her Department has spent on the services of the consultants McKinsey and Co. in each year since 2002; and on which projects the consultancy was engaged.

Angela Smith: In the current financial year the Department has made two payments to McKinsey and Co.
	109,863 for a Review of Communications within the Department and
	109,863 for a Study into Building Performance and Capacity into Local Strategic Partnerships
	No other expenditure has been incurred by the Department since 2002.

Departmental Staff

Caroline Spelman: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government how many staff in the ministerial office of the Deputy Prime Minister received a performance-related bonus in 2005-06.

Angela Smith: Given that there were only eight staff in the ministerial office of the Deputy Prime Minister in 2005-06 and that performance related bonuses are personal information, on the grounds of staff confidentiality it would be inappropriate to answer.

Dress Codes

Caroline Spelman: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what guidance she has issued to her civil servants and other officials carrying out departmental business on the permissibility of covering their faces when meeting members of the public.

Angela Smith: I refer the hon. Member to the answer given to the hon. Member for St. Albans (Anne Main) on 26 October 2006,  Official Report, column 2035W.

Homeless Households

Lynne Featherstone: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government how many homeless households with dependent children there have been in each year since 2004 in each form of temporary accommodation, broken down by Government region.

Yvette Cooper: Information reported each quarter by local authorities about their activities under homelessness legislation includes the number of households in temporary accommodation on the last day of the quarter, and, since 2002, those that include dependent children and/or expectant mothers.
	A table presenting information on the number of households with dependent children and/or expectant mothers in each main form of temporary accommodation since 2003-04 is shown as follows:
	
		
			  Households with dependent children and/or an expectant mother in temporary accommodation arranged by local authorities under homelessness legislation( 1) : by Government office region 
			  Snapshot as at 31 March 
			   Total  Bed and breakfast hotels  Hostels inc. women's refuges  Local authority or registered social landlord (LA/RSL) stock  Leased from the private sector by an LA or RSL  Other private sector accommodation( 2) 
			  2003-04   
			 North East 350 20 70 240 20 10 
			 North West 1,450 70 400 720 70 190 
			 Yorkshire and the Humber 1,290 50 220 650 340 40 
			 East Midlands 2,090 80 350 1,470 140 50 
			 West Midlands 1,420 80 300 670 330 40 
			 East of England 5,650 70 880 3,220 1,030 470 
			 London 44,620 200 2,700 7,410 29,910 4,390 
			 South East 9,510 140 940 4,390 3,180 880 
			 South West 4,190 110 430 1,350 1,380 910 
			 England 70,580 820 6,280 20,120 36,400 6,980 
			
			  2004-05( 3)   
			 North East 520 50 100 320 30 10 
			 North West 1,900 140 480 920 80 280 
			 Yorkshire and the Humber 1,110 90 230 510 230 40 
			 East Midlands 2,250 90 360 1,590 180 40 
			 West Midlands 1,750 120 320 770 490 60 
			 East of England 5,480 100 820 2,730 1,430 380 
			 London 46,360 210 2,360 7,000 31,830 4,980 
			 South East 8,520 180 830 3,300 3,230 990 
			 South West 4,780 190 350 1,480 1,670 1,090 
			 England 72,670 1,180 5,840 18,610 39,180 7,890 
			
			  2005-06( 3)   
			 North East 430 30 60 310 30 10 
			 North West 1,480 80 390 630 60 310 
			 Yorkshire and the Humber 1,290 90 190 620 350 30 
			 East Midlands 1,470 80 260 920 190 30 
			 West Midlands 1,500 110 220 670 90 410 
			 East of England 4,640 90 730 2,000 1,540 290 
			 London 48,360 280 2,200 6,650 34,550 4,690 
			 South East 8,040 140 620 3,090 3,310 890 
			 South West 4,340 130 310 1,180 1,840 900 
			 England 71,560 1,020 4,960 16,080 41,960 7,550 
			 (1) Households in accommodation arranged by local authorities pending enquiries or after being accepted as homeless under the 1996 Act. (2) Including private landlord. From 2002 Q1 onwards, some self-contained accommodation in annex-style units previously recorded under B and B now more appropriately attributed to private sector accommodation. (3) Provisional data.  Note: Totals may not equal the sum of components because of rounding.  Source: DCLG P1E Homelessness returns (quarterly) 
		
	
	The latest figures show that 92 per cent. of all families with dependent children and/or an expectant mother in temporary accommodation are living in self-contained properties, with their own front door.
	Since 2004, local authorities have not been permitted to house families in bed and breakfast accommodation for more than six weeks.

Houses in Multiple Occupation

Brian Iddon: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government how many applications for houses in multiple occupation licences have been received in each local authority since April 2006; and how many licences have been issued in each case.

Yvette Cooper: The Department does not hold this information at present but is working closely with local authorities to ensure that the relevant data collection system is in place. We expect to have complete information regarding applications and licences issued by local authorities from spring 2007.

Housing

David Jones: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government 
	(1)  what assessment her Department has made of the role solid log homes can play in addressing the shortage of affordable housing;
	(2)  what guidance her Department issues to local planning authorities on the criteria to be applied when planning applications for the construction of solid log homes are being considered.

Yvette Cooper: The Department has not made any specific assessment of the use of solid log homes for affordable housing and has not issued planning guidance on this subject.

Housing

Jon Trickett: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government how many applications there are on housing waiting lists in  (a) Hemsworth constituency,  (b) the Wakefield District and  (c) each local authority in the Government Office Region of Yorkshire and the Humber.

Yvette Cooper: Information is not collected at the constituency or district level, only at local authority level.
	The number of households on the waiting list for social housing in each local authority in Yorkshire and the Humber, as at 1 April 2006, is tabled as follows:
	
		
			  As at 1 April 2006 
			  Local authority name  Number 
			 Barnsley 6,694 
			 Bradford 41,685 
			 Calderdale 7,489 
			 Craven 739 
			 Doncaster 16,760 
			 East Riding of Yorkshire UA 8,417 
			 Hambleton 1,162 
			 Harrogate 2,497 
			 Kingston upon Hull, City of UA 6,890 
			 Kirklees 6,964 
			 Leeds 23,851 
			 North East Lincolnshire UA 4,181 
			 North Lincolnshire UA 2,948 
			 Richmondshire 1,380 
			 Rotherham 15,881 
			 Ryedale 1,029 
			 Scarborough 4,382 
			 Selby 1,788 
			 Sheffield 80,385 
			 Wakefield 10,777 
			 York UA 1,600 
			  Source: Communities and Local Government's Housing Strategy Statistical Appendix (HSSA) return 
		
	
	Local authorities (LAs) in England report the numbers of households on their housing waiting list as at 1 April in their annual Housing Strategy Statistical Appendix returns. Where the local authority maintains a common waiting list with Registered Social Landlords (RSLs) in their district, the list will also include households placed on the list by RSLs. Communities and Local Government does not collect information on households on individual RSL waiting lists.
	Not everyone on the waiting list is necessarily in urgent housing need. The waiting list includes those who consider social housing as their preferred or one of a number of housing options, and those who decide to get onto the waiting list ladder before they need or want to move house—particularly where the priority system is heavily based on waiting time.
	LAs adopt different approaches to keeping their waiting list up-to-date: some do so on a regular annual basis; while others do so less frequently or on a rolling basis. As a result, comparisons between LAs should be made with caution.

Housing

Jon Trickett: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government how many affordable housing units  (a) built and  (b) procured through the Housing Corporation National Affordable Housing Programme were (i) mixed funded social rented housing, (ii) temporary social rented housing, (iii) homebuy general market purchase, (iv) homebuy general new build, (v) mixed funded low cost home ownership for sale, (vi) miscellaneous works to registered social landlord (RSL) stock, (vii) re-improvements to rented RSL stock, (viii) works only rehabilitation of RSL stock for sale, (ix) intermediate rent for key workers, (x) homebuy market purchase for key workers and (xi) starter home initiative in Yorkshire and Humberside in 2005-06; and how much was spent on each category in that year.

Yvette Cooper: The table shows completions and expenditure through the Housing Corporation Affordable Housing Programme, for units newly built or procured for categories (i) to (viii).
	The Key Worker Living programme was limited to London and the wider South East, so there are no completions or investment in categories (ix) to (xi) in the Yorkshire and Humberside region through this programme.
	Funding and completions are not directly comparable, as funding will relate to projects running, not necessarily units completed, in any one year.
	
		
			  Yorkshire and Humberside—completions and funding in 2005-06 and allocations 2006-08 
			2005-06  2006-08 
			New Build (Units)  Procured (Units)  Expenditure (£ million)  Allocation (Units)  Allocation (£ million) 
			 (i) Mixed funded Social Rent 917 117 47.3 1,924 104.2 
			 (ii) Temporary Social Housing 0 74 1.2 56 0.4 
			 (iii) Homebuy market purchase 0 49 1.6 n/a n/a 
			 (iv) Homebuy New Build 8 0 0 n/a n/a 
			 (v) Mixed-funded Low Cost Home Ownership 213 0 3.9 937 24.9 
			 (vi) Miscellaneous Works n/a n/a 0.3 n/a 0.7 
			 (vii) Re-improvements to rented RSL stock n/a n/a 3.0 n/a n/a 
			 (viii) Works only re-hab of RSL stock for sale n/a n/a 0 n/a n/a 
			  Source: Housing Corporation 
		
	
	Miscellaneous works, re-improvements to rented RSL stock and works only rehabilitation of RSL stock for sale are not recorded as completed dwellings as they may have previously received funding and would therefore be double counted.
	Figures for 2006-08 are based on the Housing Corporation's Allocation Statement for the Yorkshire and Humberside following approval of their 2006-08 Affordable Housing Programme.

Housing

Kerry McCarthy: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what estimate her Department has made of the proportion of long-term empty homes that are adequately served by  (a) transport networks,  (b) public services,  (c) amenities and  (d) other infrastructure.

Yvette Cooper: No formal assessment has been made. However, our general assumption is that the majority of empty homes are located within existing communities. Therefore, it is likely that they will have access to existing transport, services, amenities and other infrastructure.

Housing

Kerry McCarthy: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what guidance her Department provides to local authorities on the groups of people in housing need who might be accommodated in properties leased under empty dwelling management orders.

Yvette Cooper: It is for local authorities to determine the suitability of people to be housed in dwellings subject to empty dwelling management orders. The Department does not provide guidance on this aspect of the procedure.
	Where a local authority receives approval from a residential property tribunal to make an interim empty dwelling management order, before it can place a person in occupation of the dwelling, it must obtain written consent from the owner. Therefore, the owner will have an opportunity to discuss with the authority who they intend to let the property to.

Housing

Kerry McCarthy: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government if she will publish local authority good practice on bringing empty homes back into use at below-market level rents to meet local housing needs.

Yvette Cooper: The primary objective of bringing empty homes back into use is to reduce the negative impact they have on local communities. Local authorities may additionally seek to make use of empty homes to meet housing need at affordable rent levels. This is a matter for individual local authorities to determine and the Department does not provide guidance on this aspect.
	The Department has funded good practice guidance on other aspects relating to the reuse of empty property. It funded a series of seminars earlier this year, organised by the Innovation and Development Agency and the Empty Homes Agency, that examined effective approaches to dealing with empty homes. This was allied to publication of a new good practice document, "A Cure for Empty Homes". In addition, the Office of the Deputy Prime Minister published comprehensive good practice guidance, "Unlocking the Potential of Empty Property", in 2003.

Housing

Kerry McCarthy: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what research she  (a) has commissioned and  (b) plans to commission into the relative environmental merits of new house building compared with making greater use of homes that have been empty for more than six months.

Yvette Cooper: We published the report, "A sustainability impact study of additional housing scenarios in England" in December 2005. This study assessed the environmental, social and economic impacts of additional housing growth scenarios developed in response to the findings of the Barker review of housing supply. In addition, the Empty Homes Agency is currently undertaking a research project into the environmental merits of bringing empty homes back into use and will publish its findings in due course.

Housing

Kerry McCarthy: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what steps her Department is taking to encourage local authorities to make greater use of empty dwelling management orders.

Yvette Cooper: Empty dwelling management orders are a discretionary power and can only be used as a last resort where attempts by a local authority to tackle the problem through agreement are declined by owners. It is for local authorities to judge whether making an order is an appropriate course of action in the particular circumstances of each case and then to seek the necessary approval of a residential property tribunal.
	In order to raise awareness and understanding of empty dwelling management orders the Department has published detailed technical guidance explaining the relevant provisions of the Housing Act 2004 and an explanatory leaflet for property owners.
	The Department has also facilitated training and associated good practice guidance organised by the Innovation and Development Agency and the Empty Homes Agency.

Housing

Kerry McCarthy: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government how many long-term empty properties have been recorded in Bristol in each year since 1990.

Yvette Cooper: Information is not available for long term empty properties prior to 2002. The following number of total vacancies and long-term vacancies (from 2002) for Bristol are presented in the following table.
	
		
			   Snap-shot date  Total vacancies  Vacancies over 6 months 
			 1990 1 April 5,013 n/a 
			 1991 1 April 5,731 n/a 
			 1992 1 April 6,248 n/a 
			 1993 1 April n/a n/a 
			 1994 1 April n/a n/a 
			 1995 1 April 6,492 n/a 
			 1996 1 April 6,447 n/a 
			 1997 1 April 6,373 n/a 
			 1998 1 April 5,642 n/a 
			 1999 1 April 5,688 n/a 
			 2000 1 April 6,661 n/a 
			 2001 1 April 6,168 n/a 
			 2002 1 November 6,711 3,378 
			 2003 3 November 7,334 3,926 
			 2004 1 November 6,242 3,024 
			 2005 10 October 5,614 2,287 
			 n/a = Not available.  Source:  1990-2001 from the HSSA 2002-2005 from the CTB1

Housing

Kerry McCarthy: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government how many long-term empty properties were recorded in each local authority in the South West in the most recent year for which figures are available.

Yvette Cooper: The following empty properties were reported by each local authority in the South West as at October 2005:
	
		
			  Local authority  Number of properties empty over six months 
			 Bath and North East Somerset 509 
			 Bournemouth UA 1,007 
			 Bristol 2,287 
			 Caradon 523 
			 Carrick 457 
			 Cheltenham 563 
			 Christchurch 204 
			 Cotswold 361 
			 East Devon 410 
			 East Dorset 220 
			 Exeter 237 
			 Forest of Dean 336 
			 Gloucester 523 
			 Isles of Scilly n/a 
			 Kennet 458 
			 Kerrier 506 
			 Mendip 461 
			 Mid Devon 425 
			 North Cornwall 336 
			 North Devon 440 
			 North Dorset 299 
			 North Somerset UA 536 
			 North Wiltshire 1,046 
			 Penwith 250 
			 Plymouth UA 1,099 
			 Poole UA 578 
			 Purbeck 78 
			 Restormel 343 
			 Salisbury 11 
			 Sedgemoor 989 
			 South Gloucestershire UA 452 
			 South Hams 411 
			 South Somerset 787 
			 Stroud 442 
			 Swindon UA 1,178 
			 Taunton Deane 331 
			 Teignbridge 543 
			 Tewkesbury 229 
			 Torbay UA 1,344 
			 Torridge 233 
			 West Devon 324 
			 West Dorset 422 
			 West Somerset 248 
			 West Wiltshire 426 
			 Weymouth and Portland 384 
			 n/a = Not available  Source:  Council Tax Base 1(CTB1) returns

Housing

Kerry McCarthy: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government how many empty dwelling management orders have been  (a) applied for and  (b) secured by local authorities since April 2006.

Yvette Cooper: Empty dwelling orders were introduced on 6 July. No full orders have been made. They are designed to be used as last resorts when other means have been tried. One application for approval of an interim empty dwelling management order has recently been made and is currently awaiting a decision of a residential property tribunal.

Local Government Finance

Brian Jenkins: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government how much Tamworth borough council raised in council tax in each of the last five years.

Phil Woolas: The council tax received by Tamworth borough council in each of the last five years is shown in the following table. The figures include both arrears received for previous years and prepayment of council tax for subsequent years.
	
		
			   £000 
			 2001-02 16,267 
			 2002-03 17,775 
			 2003-04 20,356 
			 2004-05 22,025 
			 2005-06 23,129 
		
	
	The data are as reported on QRC4 forms submitted by all billing authorities to the Department for Communities and Local Government each year.

Municipal Waste

Andrew Dismore: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government if she will bring forward legislation to amend the Greater London Authority Act 1999 to ensure that the definition of municipal waste includes litter.

Yvette Cooper: We have no plans to amend the Greater London Authority Act 1999 to change the definition of municipal waste.

Neighbourhood Renewal Fund

Jim Cousins: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what the Neighbourhood Renewal Fund grant for each local authority in England was for each year between 2003-04 and 2006-07; what grant is planned for each authority in 2007-08; and what the percentage increase each year is in each case.

Phil Woolas: Between 2003 to 2008, 91 local authority districts are eligible to receive Neighbourhood Renewal Fund (NRF) resources. Allocations for each year between 2003-04 to 2007-08 is provided in the following table, together with the percentage change between each year.
	
		
			  Local authority  NRF allocation 2003-04 (£ million)  NRF allocation 2004-05 (£ million)  % difference -/+  NRF allocation 2005-06  (£ million)  % difference  -/+  NRF allocation 2006-07  (£ million)  % difference -/+  NRF allocation 2007-08  (£ million)  % difference -/+ 
			 Allerdale 0.855 0.855 — 0.855 — 0.570 -33.33 0.285 -50.00 
			 Ashfield 0.964 0.964 — 0.964 — 0.642 -33.33 0.321 -50.00 
			 Barking and Dagenham 1.633 1.633 — 1.633 — 1.633 — 1.717 5.16 
			 Barnet(1) — — — — — 1.000 — 1.000 — 
			 Barnsley 5.444 5.444 — 5.444 — 5.444 — 5.444 — 
			 Barrow-in-Furness 1.838 1.838 — 1.838 — 1.838 — 1.838 — 
			 Birmingham 22.043 22.043 — 22.043 — 32.266 46.38 37.624 16.60 
			 Blackburn with Darwen 4.335 4.335 — 4.335 — 3.901 -10.00 3.602 -7.68 
			 Blackpool 3.008 3.008 — 3.008 — 3.193 6.16 3.723 16.60 
			 Bolsover 1.469 1.886 28.43 2.513 33.21 2.262 -10.00 2.010 -11.11 
			 Bolton 5.426 5.426 — 5.426 — 5.426 — 5.658 4.29 
			 Bradford 9.812 9.812 — 9.812 — 12.613 28.54 14.707 16.60 
			 Brent 2.279 2.279 — 2.279 — 2.279 — 2.279 — 
			 Brighton and Hove 1.369 1.369 — 1.369 — 1.801 31.60 2.101 16.60 
			 Bristol 3.565 4.579 28.43 6.099 33.21 6.099 — 6.099 — 
			 Burnley 1.273 1.273 — 1.273 — 1.822 43.07 2.124 16.60 
			 Camden 4.219 5.418 28.43 7.217 33.21 6.496 -10.00 5.774 -11.11 
			 Coventry 5.290 5.290 — 5.290 — 5.290 — 5.290 — 
			 Croydon 0.581 0.581 — 0.581 — 1.000 72.04 1.000 — 
			 Derby 3.250 3.250 — 3.250 — 3.689 13.50 4.302 16.60 
			 Derwentside 1.482 1.904 28.43 2.536 33.21 2.282 -10.00 2.029 -11.11 
			 Doncaster 8.790 8.790 — 8.790 — 8.699 -1.03 8.739 0.45 
			 Dudley 1.521 1.521 — 1.521 — 1.577 3.72 1.839 16.60 
			 Ealing 0.917 0.917 — 0.917 — 1.187 29.47 1.384 16.60 
			 Easington 4.433 5.694 28.43 7.584 33.21 6.826 -10.00 6.068 -11.11 
			 Enfield 1.860 1.860 — 1.860 — 1.674 -10.00 1.488 -11.11 
			 Gateshead 4.643 4.643 — 4.643 — 4.643 — 5.151 10.94 
			 Great Yarmouth 1.987 1.987 — 1.987 — 1.938 -2.50 1.946 0.45 
			 Greenwich 3.881 4.985 28.43 6.640 33.21 5.976 -10.00 5.312 -11.11 
			 Hackney 11.765 15.111 28.43 20.128 33.21 18.116 -10.00 16.103 -11.11 
			 Halton 3.928 5.045 28.43 6.721 33.21 6.049 -10.00 5.377 -11.11 
			 Hammersmith and Fulham 1.033 1.033 — 1.033 — 1.000 -3.22 1.000 — 
			 Haringey 5.335 6.852 28.43 9.127 33.21 8.214 -10.00 7.863 -4.28 
			 Hartlepool 3.138 4.030 28.43 5.368 33.21 4.831 -10.00 4.375 9.43 
			 Hastings 1.375 1.375 — 1.375 — 1.574 14.47 1.836 16.60 
			 Hyndburn 1.294 1.294 — 1.294 — 0.862 -33.33 0.431 -50.00 
			 Islington 6.270 8.053 28.43 10.727 33.21 9.654 -10.00 8.581 -11.11 
			 Kensington and Chelsea(2) 1.081 1.081 — 1.081 — — — — — 
			 Kerrier 1.610 1.610 — 1.610 — 1.074 -33.33 0.537 -50.00 
			 Kingston upon Hull 7.507 9.642 28.43 12.844 33.21 12.844 — 12.844 — 
			 Kirklees 2.992 2.992 — 2.992 — 4.183 39.82 4.878 16.60 
			 Knowsley 7.391 9.492 28.43 12.644 33.21 11.380 -10.00 10.116 -11.11 
			 Lambeth 2.422 3.110 28.43 4.143 33.21 4.143 — 4.143 — 
			 Leeds 8.396 8.396 — 8.396 — 12.811 52.60 14.939 16.60 
			 Leicester 8.377 8.377 — 8.377 — 7.693 -8.17 7.728 0.45 
			 Lewisham 2.453 2.453 — 2.453 — 2.207 -10.00 1.962 -11.11 
			 Lincoln 0.400 0.400 — 0.400 — 0.267 -33.33 0.133 -50.00 
			 Liverpool 20.133 25.857 28.43 34.443 33.21 30.999 -10.00 31.069 0.23 
			 Luton(2) 1.510 1.510 — 1.510 — — — — — 
			 Manchester 20.595 26.451 28.43 35.234 33.21 31.711 -10.00 29.881 -5.77 
			 Mansfield 2.299 2.299 — 2.299 — 2.188 -4.83 2.198 0.45 
			 Middlesbrough 5.249 6.742 28.43 8.981 33.21 8.360 -6.91 8.398 0.45 
			 Newcastle upon Tyne 6.843 6.843 — 6.843 — 7.129 4.18 8.312 16.60 
			 Newham 13.332 17.123 28.43 22.808 33.21 20.528 -10.00 18.247 -11.11 
			 North East Lincolnshire(1) — — — — — 4.559 — 4.579 0.45 
			 North Tyneside 3.074 3.074 — 3.074 — 2.766 -10.00 2.459 -11.11 
			 Norwich(1) — — — — — 1.959 — 1.968 0.45 
			 Nottingham 9.246 11.875 28.43 15.818 33.21 14.236 -10.00 14.177 -0.41 
			 Oldham 4.674 4.674 — 4.674 — 4.674 — 5.323 13.88 
			 Pendle 1.961 1.961 — 1.961 — 1.307 -33.33 0.654 -50.00 
			 Penwith 0.829 0.829 — 0.829 — 1.000 20.61 1.000 — 
			 Plymouth 2.114 2.114 — 2.114 — 2.423 14.62 2.826 16.60 
			 Portsmouth(2) 0.957 0.957 — 0.957 — — — — — 
			 Preston 2.520 2.520 — 2.520 — 2.520 — 2.520 — 
			 Redcar and Cleveland 3.472 3.472 — 3.472 — 3.397 -2.17 3.412 0.45 
			 Rochdale 4.878 4.878 — 4.878 — 4.878 — 5.509 12.93 
			 Rotherham 3.669 3.669 — 3.669 — 3.496 -4.71 3.512 0.45 
			 Salford 5.441 6.988 28.43 9.308 33.21 9.308 — 9.308 — 
			 Sandwell 8.051 10.340 28.43 13.773 33.21 12.396 -10.00 11.018 -11.11 
			 Sedgefield 1.139 1.139 — 1.139 — 1.025 -10.00 1.000 -2.44 
			 Sefton 5.631 5.631 — 5.63 — 5.631 — 5.631 — 
			 Sheffield 9.581 9.581 — 9.581 — 9.899 3.33 11.543 16.60 
			 South Tyneside 5.382 6.912 28.43 9.208 33.21 8.287 -10.00 7.366 -11.11 
			 Southampton(2) 0.862 0.862 — 0.862 — — — — — 
			 Southwark 7.912 10.162 28.43 13.537 33.21 12.183 -10.00 10.829 -11.11 
			 St. Helens 3.873 3.873 — 3.873 — 3.873 — 4.359 12.55 
			 Stockton-on-Tees 3.852 3.852 — 3.852 — 3.684 -4.36 3.701 0.45 
			 Stoke-on-Trent 4.034 4.034 — 4.034 — 6.150 52.46 7.171 16.60 
			 Sunderland 7.164 7.164 — 7.164 — 7.164 — 7.655 6.86 
			 Tameside 1.340 1.340 — 1.340 — 2.324 73.38 2.709 16.60 
			 Tower Hamlets 10.624 13.644 28.43 18.175 33.21 16.358 -10.00 14.540 -11.11 
			 Wakefield 4.439 4.439 — 4.439 — 4.439 — 4.449 0.23 
			 Walsall 7.122 7.122 — 7.122 — 6.410 -10.00 5.698 -11.11 
			 Waltham Forest 2.553 2.553 — 2.553 — 2.298 -10.00 2.043 -11.11 
			 Wandsworth(2) 0.400 0.400 — 0.400 — — — — — 
			 Wansbeck 1.379 1.772 28.43 2.360 33.21 2.124 -10.00 1.888 -11.11 
			 Wear Valley 1.706 2.191 28.43 2.919 33.21 2.627 -10.00 2.335 -11.11 
			 Westminster 1.497 1.497 — 1.497 — 3.055 104.06 3.563 16.60 
			 Wigan 2.725 2.725 — 2.725 — 4.096 50.28 4.776 16.60 
			 Wirral 5.075 5.075 — 5.075 — 6.642 30.86 7.744 16.60 
			 Wolverhampton 5.928 5.928 — 5.928 — 5.928 — 5.928 — 
			 (1 )New NRF area from April 2006. (2) Not eligible to receive NRF after March 2006.

Planning

Roberta Blackman-Woods: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government pursuant to her answer of 22 November 2006,  Official Report, column 116W, on planning, what systems are in place for external monitoring and inspection of the quality of decision-making by local planning departments.

Yvette Cooper: Local planning authorities are responsible in the first instance for decisions on planning applications. Where applicants are dissatisfied with the decision there is a right of appeal to the Secretary of State.
	In addition, each local authority must appoint a monitoring officer who is responsible for advising the authority in respect of any possible breaches of the law by the authority or any committee or office holder of the authority. Where a party considers a decision by a local authority has not been made properly then it may be challenged in the High Court.
	Local planning authorities make annual returns on a number of Best Value Performance Indicators to the Audit Commission one of which is the proportion of refusals of consent by local planning authorities that are overturned on appeal (BV204). The Audit Commission will take these returns into account when deciding whether to undertake an inspection.

Planning Permission: (Wind Power)

Linda Riordan: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what restrictions are in place on the installation of wind turbines on private property; what information is required by planning departments before such equipment may be installed; and what steps are being taken by the Government to make this process easier.

Yvette Cooper: The Town and Country Planning (General Permitted Development) Order 1995 (GPDO) provides the basis for works that have planning permission without the need for express approval from the local planning authority. However, domestic wind turbines were not anticipated by the order and local planning authorities have had to take their own interpretation of what is permitted.
	The Government believe it should be easier to install microgeneration including small scale wind turbines. We are currently reviewing the regulations on what equipment a householder can install without having to apply for planning permission. We will be consulting on new proposals in the new year.

South East Regional Assembly

Tony Baldry: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what the cost was of the Government office for the south-east's commissioning of Roger Tym & Partners to produce reports on a south east regional assembly.

Yvette Cooper: The Government commissioned this research to augment the evidence base for the forthcoming examination in public (EiP) into the draft regional spatial strategy (RSS) for the south-east. It is an independent technical exercise using publicly available information to assess the impacts and implications of accommodating a range of levels of housing growth above that proposed by the South East England regional assembly, should this be considered by the independent panel conducting the EiP. The report is not a statement of Government policy.
	The cost of commissioning the report by Roger Tym & Partners, published June 2006 was £73,421.

Steel

Iain Wright: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what plans the Government have to make the European conformity mark on steel products mandatory for steel manufactured and sold in the United Kingdom.

Angela Smith: The Government have no plans to make the European conformity mark on steel products mandatory for steel manufactured and sold for use in the United Kingdom that fall under the Construction Products Regulations 1991 as amended.

Websites

Ben Wallace: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government whether her Department has assisted in the development of an 'Islam online' website.

Phil Woolas: The Department for Communities and Local Government has given no assistance to the development of an 'Islam online' website.